Seven For A Secret
by Terias Mcklay
Summary: Paige has a secret. More than one. When she starts to receive mysterious texts from someone called 'A', will the cost of keeping her secrets come at too high a price?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Pretty Little Liars in either of its forms. I'm just taking a few of them out for a short walk. I promise to polish them up before handing them back to their rightful owners.

**Author's Note**: This is going to be a relatively lengthy fic that follows Paige's side of the story as she weaves in and out of the lives of 'The Liars'. I'll be true to canon when it comes to the onscreen stuff, however her 'off screen' life is about to become my playground. The story will eventually contain spoilers up to Season 3 (potentially beyond). I'll do my best to give a heads up which episode I'll be dealing with so no one is unintentionally spoiled.

I don't have/use a beta, all mistakes are my own. I've had atrocious luck with getting scene breaks to take in previous fics, '***' doesn't seem to work, so look for '888'. Now that I've thoroughly bored you with the housekeeping, on to the story!

Comments and constructive criticism are always appreciated. Enjoy!

**888**

The texts had started out innocuously enough. At first, Paige had thought it was a prank, Pru messing around or one of her teammates trying to get back at her for something or other. The texts hadn't been much more than a few seemingly random prods at her day to day life. The texter asked if she had enjoyed her tuna salad at lunch. What did she like about the movie she had seen the night before. All things Paige had done in public, more than enough people around to slough off the odd texts as someone with too much time on their hands. But, somewhere along the way, the tone of the messages changed. It hadn't taken more than text, about a private moment, for the whole situation to go from curious to creepy.

Paige had tried to respond to the text then –for the first time- chagrined to find her text returned, the number blocked. Officially irritated by the breach of privacy and her inability to respond to her stalker, Paige had gone ahead and blocked any further incoming messages. Apparently, it had been a bad move.

Things had devolved quickly from bad to worse. No longer satisfied, the texter had found new ways to leave messages. Her locker in the natatorium had been rifled through, her car had been broken into and -in one admittedly ballsy move- her stuffed animals at home had been rearranged, her plush shark found belly up in the bathtub.

Paige had unblocked the number then, her phone nearly filled to capacity with mystery messages, each more unsettling than the last. The final message, left after she had reclaimed her shark from the tub, proved whoever was toying with her, wasn't playing a kids' game.

**Even sharks can drown. -A**

**888**

The day after finding her shark in the bathtub, Paige slid into her usual desk, three rows in and two desks over. Not close enough to the front to be constantly called on, nor far enough in the back that she was forced to deal with juvie rejects. Pru sat to her left, textbook and notebook open but mind clearly somewhere else as Mrs. Ellison droned on about covalent bonds.

Paige found herself similarly distracted as she rooted through her mind to come up with possible 'A's. At this point, everyone was suspect. It was someone at school, that much was clear, given how the texts had started. With over 400 students and 30 faculty members, it was anyone's guess as to who it could be. Paige looked over at Pru, taking a moment to study her friend, wondering if the girl had it in her to be 'A'.

Paige doubted it. Pru's sadistic streak could run a mile wide if provoked but she didn't seem capable of pulling it off. The girl wasn't stupid by any stretch but she was notoriously impatient. A long, drawn out game of cat and mouse wouldn't be her style. Plus, the tone of the 'A' game suggested some deep seated psychosis and Pru, for all her faults, didn't come off as crazy. Dismissing her friend as the source, Paige tracked her eyes through the classroom, trying to identify someone with a problem big enough to warrant the terror tactics.

Her gaze found the back of Spencer Hastings head, eyes narrowing at her former teammate. Hastings was certainly smart enough to pull off being 'A' and she was definitely a planner. They had butted heads more than once over the course of the field hockey season. Paige didn't think the incidents were enough to warrant whatever 'A' was planning but who knew. Hastings had been friends with Alison DiLaurentis and if there was one thing Ali was good at, it was holding a grudge.

Paige mentally checked Spencer as a solid 'maybe' on her list of 'A' candidates then quickly skipped over Hannah as too vapid and Aria as too doe eyed to pull off such a game.

She dismissed Emily before she even looked at her. They swam together but never had more than cursory contact. No reason to think her teammate had reason to harass her. Paige watched the foursome quietly giggle over some secret, lips pursed in annoyance. It was so easy for them. To be calm. To be happy.

A lifetime of being drilled -to perform to a standard that was no less than perfect- left Paige chronically anxious. Each move had to be calculated, planned, no screw ups. Keeping tight control was the only way to keep everyone from realizing she was once step shy of a full on meltdown. The moment she went off book, opened her mouth without planning what to say, acted on impulse, things went bad.

Those girls, the pretty ones, didn't have that problem. It all came so naturally to them. Well, maybe not Spencer who seemed destined to live her life in hyperdrive. Definitely Emily though. The moment she walked into a room, her calm smile and easy charm captured whoever was lucky enough to be interacting with her. If Emily had a psychotic nature hiding under her girl next door façade, she deserved an award for her acting.

Dismissing the foursome, Paige searched the rest of the room. Mona, Noel, Jenna, a few guys from the swim team and some randoms whose names she had never bothered to learn. Nothing. No one she had any meaningful contact with. Certainly nothing to warrant the type of personal attention 'A' was so kind to lavish her with.

Paige's phone vibrated in her pocket and she pulled it out, lips pursing in a tight line at the blocked number.

**One class down, three to go. Catch me if you can. -A**

Paige searched the class, seeking out anyone with a phone in hand. Nothing. The bell rang before she could sweep the class a second time and Paige looked down, somewhat surprised to find a blank page where her notes should have been. She hadn't managed to put one streak of ink out in over an hour. On the day before a test, no less. Was that 'A's plan? Distract her to the point of failure?

"Paige, you coming?" Pru was already standing, her books shoved under her arm as she stared at Paige expectantly.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm coming." Paige pushed herself from her desk, snapping her textbook shut. It was going to be a long day. She followed her friend from the classroom, acknowledging Hastings with a curt nod when the other girl stared her down as she passed.

Definitely an avenue worth exploring.

They made a quick pass by their lockers, exchanging chemistry books for math. Pru made her way to Math 20 while Paige split off, heading to advanced algebra. She only knew these classmates in passing, most of them moving in the academic rather than athletic circles. Paige had made a point of filling her schedule with rigorous classes but when it came to associating with people, she was far more comfortable around the jocks than the brains.

She was more so comfortable with the guys, where she wasn't forced to keep a leash on every look, every touch. She wasn't in a constant state of awkward anxiety that made her seem aloof an unapproachable. She didn't have to be afraid that she would somehow tip her hand, let her eyes linger longer than they should.

Paige shook off the thoughts, tucking them away for later contemplation. She had more important things to worry about than her lack of social skills. She scanned the room, eyes falling once again on Hasting and Emily though Hanna and Aria were notably absent.

Paige caught Emily's eyes, the other girl offering a tentative smile and a small wave. Paige returned the greeting with a tight lipped nod. Her feelings about her team mate could only be described as mixed.

When Emily had gone AWOL -early in the swim season- Paige had alternated between being grateful that her stiffest competition was no longer in the running and pissed off because losing Emily meant an immediate slip in their standings.

While Emily had been off dealing with her 'American Teenager' moment, Paige had been left trying to hold a quickly fracturing team together. Last year's captain, a no nonsense senior, had graduated and gone out of state. None of their current seniors -a trio of cliquish athletes- had stepped in to the leadership vacuum. Emily -as one of the more experienced and approachable members of the team- had fallen into a defacto captaincy. Freshmen naturally gravitated toward her guidance and even the seniors seemed happy enough to follow her quiet lead.

Paige had been grateful for the girl then, pleased that she hadn't needed to step into another leadership role when she was laden down with so many other responsibilities. Then, Emily left. Their team, barely tethered together by their shared sport, had started to slide. They had become a collective of individuals, each working for themselves. Coach had been at her wits end and Paige hadn't any choice but to try and step in. She wasn't Emily and she knew it, she couldn't hope to replicate the calm, empathetic leadership style that Emily fallen into. She had tried to force cohesion instead, scheduled dinners, extra practices, tactics which failed more often than they succeeded.

Now, with Emily back, Paige found herself hovering between holding a grudging admiration for someone who so easily took command and irritation that the girl thought she could drop them and pick them up whenever she felt like it.

What was more frustrating was that Emily had not just reclaimed her spot on the team but in the water. Weeks out of the pool hadn't stopped the other girl from sliding through the water like she was part fish. Less than two weeks back and she was dogging Paige's every move, cutting their margins razor thin.

"Ms. McCullers?"

Paige looked up, cheeks immediately burning that she had been caught unawares. A quick glance showed Spencer eyeing her with a somewhat satisfied smirk while Emily's gaze seemed to border on concern.

"Yes?" Paige turned to the teacher who looked at her expectantly, chalk in hand.

"Perhaps you'd like to solve the equation?"

Paige scanned the problem, lips shaping into a frown at the litany of Xs, exponents and signs that littered the board.

"Uh..."

"Perhaps we want to pay a little more attention and do a little less daydreaming, yes?"

"Yes, Mr. Peterson." Paige dutifully took notes through the rest of class, forcibly pushing out thoughts of 'A', Emily and whatever distractions tried to pull her out of her thoughts. It was almost calming, solving abstract problems, it was nice to know that some mysteries weren't beyond her.

The lunch bell eventually rang and Paige shut her books, beelining for the door. She stopped in her tracks when a gentle hand gripped her wrist, her eyes finding Emily's.

"Hey."

"Uh… hey." Paige hated unplanned conversation, this was where her natural ability to speak took over. An ability notable only in its absence.

"Are you okay? You looked a little out of it earlier."

"No, I mean yeah, I'm fine. Good. I'm good, actually." Ah yes, this was what sixteen years of speaking and over a decade of formal education had netted her. A conversation worthy of scholars, truly.

"Okay, if you're sure…" Emily seemed to be genuinely concerned and it took all Paige had not to rip her wrist away from the other girl. This kind of attention wasn't something she was equipped to handle and it was only going to send her into a tight, downward spiral of awkwardness.

"I'm sure." She twisted her wrist, just enough to free herself of Emily's light grip without it seeming like she was ready to make a break for Mexico. "Thanks."

She was out the door before Emily could respond, though she heard a mutter from Hastings that sounded suspiciously like a dig. Ignoring it, she continued on. She wasn't looking forward to lunch, or being in a crowd, there were too many people, too many variables. Too many chances for 'A' to stir up shit. Still, stubborn to a fault, she refused to allow 'A' to alter her routine. It would be a cold day in hell before she let herself get punked by one of the Neanderthals passing as students. Paige tossed her books into her locker and grabbed her lunch, meeting Pru along the way to head to a table.

They sat in their usual group, Pru and her boyfriend, a few periphery friends that Paige knew through Pru but didn't really interact with. Her teammates were scattered through the cafeteria, the seniors sprawled across a raucous corner, the freshmen huddled close at the other end of the room.

Emily was already at her table, the usual foursome tucked tightly together at one table. It still struck her as weird sometimes, seeing only four of the original quintet. Their former Queen Bee, Alison, had made a point of sitting in the middle of her subjects, blessing each of them with some tidbit of conversation.

Paige had never been close to Alison. Gut instinct had told her early on to keep her distance from a girl who made a point of targeting anyone within striking distance. She was nervous enough around people without having to deal with harassment on the level Alison dealt out. Unfortunately, giving the girl a wide berth hadn't protected Paige as well as she hoped. She had been on the business end of Alison's sharp barbs more than once. When it came down to it, Paige's obstinate nature hadn't let Alison push her around. Problem was, Alison liked a challenge more than anything and fighting back only made the girl sink well manicured claws in deeper. Paige had learned as much and after a few scuffles, she went out of her way to avoid the blonde and her court. Alison had eventually tired of baiting her with no success and set her sights on easier prey.

Alison's disappearance, Paige was ashamed to admit, had brought relief with it. Not relief that the girl was dead, more that someone who was particularly skilled at ferreting out weakness wouldn't be nipping at her heels anymore. That she wouldn't have to go through high school judiciously avoiding anything Alison came near, just for safety sake.

"Hey, where are you today?" Pru nudged her with her shoulder before following Paige's line of sight. "Would you stop hate staring Hastings? It was months ago. Besides, isn't having a penalty named after you kind of a good thing, intimidation tactics and all that?"

Startled from her thoughts, Paige turned away from the chatting quartet, nodding at Pru. She tried to pull her focus back to the table but her thoughts wouldn't shake loose from Alison.

If the girl had been alive, there was no doubt she would be at the top of Paige's 'A' list. Alison didn't need a reason to terrorize someone. She was a pit viper in heels at the best of times and Paige had seen her tear down more than one person with her merciless tactics. Maybe she had trained some sort of apprentice.

Sighing at her own muddy thoughts, Paige took a bite of her sandwich, half of her attention on Pru's mindless conversation, the other running 'A' potentials through her mind. When the bell finally sounded to end lunch, Paige stood, waving her goodbye to Pru before making her way out of the cafeteria. She had a spare period after lunch that she dedicated to working out. She had fought with her father over that. He had wanted a full load of classes, considered a spare period a waste of time.

She had talked him into it over the course of the summer, one of the few times she could actually get Nick McCullers to budge. The tradeoff had been two extra courses over the summer but it meant not being up at four am to hit the gym before morning swim practice.

Her routine was timed to the minute, allowing for an intense workout and shower with just enough time to sneak in a protein shake before pelting for her afternoon classes. Paige was quick to change and hop on the treadmill, earbuds in, speed set to pound out three miles in her twenty minutes of allotted cardio time. Running was Paige's opportunity to let her mind to wander. Her feet knew her rhythm and the rest of her body, long tuned to the brisk pace, acted on autopilot.

Sometimes she planned out her homework, mostly essays, picking from ideas that seemed to materialize from the ether during her run. Usually, she reserved the time for her herself, a brief twenty minute span where she thought about whatever she wanted. It helped to have a few minutes every day dedicated to herself, it made it easier to box her feelings the rest of the time. She could get through most challenges, knowing she had a few minutes of respite in an imaginary land where she didn't have a father with mile high expectations. Or a coach. Or a team.

Paige could be herself, without the awkward moments or the constant need to compete and prove herself over others. Where she pretended she could live the life she wanted, not the one that had been laid out for her. She had started off with vague daydreams, just something to pass the time as her body set out a punishing pace. She lived somewhere other than Rosewood, maybe attended a university of her own choosing rather than those her father was feeding her to. Hell, sometimes she skipped university altogether, taking a year off to travel and find herself.

The tone of her daydreams hadn't changed much over the years but the past few months, the vague visions had taken sharper form. It had started with a passing glance.

Paige caught Emily's eye in the hallway, shortly after the other girl had taken leave of the team. Paige had been prepared to all out shun Emily for her desertion when her eyes had skittered over to the person beside her. Maya. The pair had been shoulder to shoulder, fingers linked as they walked by. It hadn't been a moment of instant clarity but Paige felt something shift, as though a jagged piece of her personal puzzle had dropped into place. The vague sense of being unsettled by seeing the two of them together had pushed Paige toward some much loathed self reflection.

Why had seeing Emily with another girl bothered her so much? Despite her father's rather conservative views, Paige didn't harbor any bad feelings towards gays. She had watched enough TV and surfed enough internet to balance her views.

When she dove a little deeper, Paige had come up with jealousy as her only answer. That the two girls could be so open, so free and happy together. Even as gay teens, out in a small town, they had felt comfortable enough in their own skin to be open with one another. Paige could barely handle kissing a boy in private, let alone public displays. Her few intimate moments with the opposite sex had felt awkward and forced, to the point that Paige stopped trying, satisfied to simply be in her own company.

The realization that followed on the heels of that train of thought had literally thrown Paige off her stride. She had nearly face planted on the treadmill, flailing madly to press the emergency stop, as if that could keep her suddenly chaotic thoughts at bay.

It was a though a dam in her mind had broken, the slowly crumbling bricks that held her carefully constructed wall in place finally giving way. It suddenly made sense. Why she had never felt quite comfortable with the advances of boys. Why she turned into an awkward turtle whenever a pretty girl would pass by, one girl in particular. That ridiculous crush she had on her first grade teacher.

"Holy crap."

She couldn't say it out loud but everything had changed that day. Pieces of herself that never quite fit no longer grated against each other the same way. The realization that she was gay had brought with it some modicum of peace. It didn't change anything in the grand scheme of things. Given her family, she wouldn't -couldn't- act on the realization. But having finally dropped that piece of the Paige McCullers puzzle into its proper place had been a relief.

It had taken some getting used to, her usual anxiety multiplied whenever she was around people. Now that she knew, could they tell? Could her parents? In the first few days she had all but holed herself up in her room, dashing from class to class with barely a look at Pru, lest her friend figure out what was up. She was in and out of the showers at practice before her teammates were even undressed, not wanting to give her eyes a chance to wander. It had been two weeks of intense stress as she tried to balance her self realization with the rest of her life.

It had been Pru's concerned questions that made Paige realize that acting like a hermit in hyperdrive was only liable to make her stand out more. She had forced herself to return to her regular routines pleased when things leveled off almost immediately.

Paige was comfortable enough with the reality now. It was just one more facet of herself that she hid behind the public mask of Paige McCullers. Thankfully, in her own mind, she no longer had to hide. She allowed her thoughts to roam to a Utopian future where she could have it all. A job she was passionate about, in a city she chose with a woman she loved. It couldn't be, Paige knew as much. But in these precious minutes when her thoughts were hers alone, it was wonderful to pretend.

Paige's watch bleated out the end of her cardio session, the end of her own time. She hopped off the treadmill, working her way through her upper body set, mind focused on form. It wouldn't do to injure a shoulder in the gym, her Dad would have her ass if she jeopardized her swim season. A quick stretch at the end of her routine and she was off, hitting the showers. Body rinsed, Paige was midway through to toweling dry when shuffling somewhere beyond the lockers caught her attention.

Paige tucked her towel in, eyes narrowing at the sound. She rarely encountered anyone in the change room at this time of day.

"Hello?" More shuffling, quick steps and the outer door opened and closed, leaving behind only silence. More than a little uncomfortable, Paige dressed quickly, ears searching for any sound that was out of the ordinary. When she was dressed, boots on, she felt considerably less vulnerable, confident she could defend herself.

Gathering her things, she shoved her locker closed, pausing as she passed the mirror. The steam from the shower had started to dissipate but not enough to erase the message written into the condensation.

**Let's play a game. Simon says. –A**

Paige pursed her lips. The level of 'creep' had officially hit an all time high. 'A' had been in the shower room with her, while she was naked. Whoever it was had balls and Paige was now determined to remove them one by one once she figured out who the hell she was dealing with.

A forceful swipe of her hand cleared the message from the mirror and Paige barreled out of the change room, officially pissed off. It was one thing to send text messages and she hadn't been particularly impressed by the stunt with her stuffed animals but this… this meant war.

She dropped by her book locker, needing to grab her essay for Mrs. Montgomery's class. A deluge of tiny boxes nearly buried her as she opened the door, raining down from the top shelf. A note fluttered to her feet, written in a tight scrawl that she instinctively knew she would come to dread.

**Simon says it's time to be Captain. Whatever it takes.-A**

Paige knelt down, ignoring the curious stares of the others students as she gathered the boxes in her arms and shoved them back in her locker. She opened one to find a small bracelet, 'Go Sharks' inset into the band. A quick count showed enough for her team.

Just great.

Heaving out a disgruntled sigh, Paige collected her books and headed for class, mind going in circles as she sat. She gave Pru an absent nod in greeting, trying to figure out what 'A's game was. What was the point of pushing her toward being captain of the swim team? How did that help 'A' toward whatever their greater goal was?

Two classes later and she still had no clue what 'A' might be trying to prove. Paige was reasonably sure of only one thing, whatever 'A' wanted, she probably didn't want to give it to them. She made her way to the natatorium, passing Emily as she walked. Her teammate seemed a little down as she stared into her locker, playing with a bracelet on her wrist.

Paige wondered if Maya had given the bracelet to Emily. Maybe it was thoughts of her absent girlfriend that were responsible for the frown and furrowed brow. Paige knew Maya's story, at least the latest version that was making its rounds through the halls. Her parents had shipped her off to True North, a teen rehab for kids with some drug problem or other. Dope, coke, Ecstasy. Maya's drug of choice apparently changed to suit whoever was telling the story. That had to be hard on Emily.

Paige briefly debated approaching her teammate, returning the kind concern Emily had shown her earlier. She had no idea what to say, no idea how to even go about comforting someone in a moment like this. Hell, she could be reading everything wrong and Emily was just depressed she'd done poorly on a test. Either way, opening her mouth was bound to produce awkwardness of previously unknown measures. No. Best to steer clear and let the other girls in the fearsome four deal with getting Emily out of her funk.

Practice passed without incident, save for a few snipes from the seniors about the coach adding extra laps for laziness. Paige kept an eye out for Emily who took the added fitness in stride, no complaints as she powered through the last few sets. She wasn't her chipper self and as Paige snuck a glance at Coach Fulton, she knew the woman could tell something was off as well.

When she had completed her extra set, Paige hauled her body out of the water, eyes still tracking Emily who came out of the pool shortly after. Coach Fulton offered Emily a towel, speaking to the girl in a low tone. Emily nodded once or twice, leaning in when Coach slung a friendly arm over her back, squeezing her shoulder in support.

Satisfied that her teammate was in good hands, certainly better than hers, Paige headed for the showers. She rinsed the chlorine from her body and changed quickly, her chemistry test was liable to kick her ass if she didn't get some serious studying done.

Emily was just peeling off her bathing suit as Paige tugged on her jacket, cinching her backpack high on her shoulder.

"Night," Emily said, eyes still harboring a sadness that made Paige's heart break.

She wanted to say something, anything that would relieve some of what Emily was going through. She just didn't have the words and she didn't want to make a bad situation worse. She settled instead for what she hoped was a smile, though it felt awkward and forced. Emily probably thought she had gas.

"Night," she finally got out. "See you tomorrow."

With that, Paige was off, making her way toward the school parking lot. Her parents were out of town for the evening, visiting her Aunt in Philly. Rather than attempt what was certain to be culinary disaster, she forewent cooking herself dinner and headed for the Apple Rose Grill.

She sat at one of the bar style tables, her books open in front of her, ordering her usual salad and wrap.

She was certain she would be seeing chemistry equations in her sleep at the rate she was going. Her crib notes just kept getting longer and she wasn't certain what, if any, information was sinking in.

She was midway through her meal when she looked up from her text book to see Emily wander in, headed for the take out counter. Emily didn't see her as she walked by and Paige took the opportunity to watch her teammate. Still clad in her athletic warm-ups, rich chestnut hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, the tendrils curling as her hair dried. Her gait was usually strong, posture erect. She was an athlete and carried herself as such, unafraid to show her confidence in what her body was capable of. Paige envied her, that Emily's comfort with herself came so easily. It had to help having friends like Hastings and the others, a strong bond with people you knew you could rely on. Hell, Hastings would probably put the first person who poked at Emily on a cross, just to prove a point.

Paige wished she had that. Sure, she had Pru and the girl had her back but Paige knew if push really came to shove, it was everyone for themselves. Emily didn't seem that type. More like she was loyal to a fault, going so far as to openly befriend Toby Cavanaugh, a kid who was on the hit list of damn near everyone in town.

Paige watched Emily hand over her money, a smile on her face for the cashier as they exchanged pleasantries. Paige found her teammate attractive, there was no denying that. Emily's warm up suit hid it well but Paige was more than aware of the lean body hidden underneath. But it wasn't just an attraction to her body, it was Emily altogether. The confident girl exuded warmth to nearly everyone she met, even when she was hurting. It made it impossible to hate her the way Paige knew she would hate anyone else who had left her in the lurch by bailing on the team.

Emily collected her food and Paige's eyes followed her as she left, gaze kept low in an attempt to be discreet. With no further distractions available, Paige turned her attention back to her studies.

She closed the Grill down, thanking her server with a generous tip and headed for her mom's borrowed car. The car beeped its acceptance of her key and she slid into the driver's seat, eyes narrowing at the unfamiliar envelope beside her. She knew whatever it was wouldn't be good but she opened the envelope anyway. She tipped the contents into her hand, reading the note first.

**Simon says take the Captaincy or everyone learns how much you like the breast stroke.-A**

The picture attached to the note was of her, no more than four hours ago, watching Emily in the Grill. On its own, it didn't mean much but coupled with the half dozen other images, there was no denying it for what it was. She was checking Emily out and despite her efforts, it wasn't with anything resembling discretion.

Paige leaned back, head hitting the neck rest as she blew out a curse.

"Fuck."

TBC…


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimers: I think we all know the drill here. Not mine, not making profit, just for fun, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

Author's Note: This chapter will contain spoilers for: Season 1, Episode 15, 'If At First You Don't Succeed, Lie, Lie Again'. Many thanks for the reviews, faves and follows.

As always, comments and constructive criticism are appreciated. Enjoy!

**888**

The water was cool, cooler than normal as Paige's body sliced through, each stroke a calculated pull. She was efficient, her technique nearly perfected after years of private tutors and practice. She consistently performed well in competition. Coach Fulton knew her as a work horse who could be trusted to put a solid time on the board. On any given day she was good. Today, Paige needed better than 'good'. She needed 'great'. She needed to solidify herself as captain in the eyes of her teammates. A position she had been a lock for until Emily had returned.

Paige had shoved 'A's gifts into her bag after school, figuring she had been presented with them to hand out to her team. She didn't like it but she wasn't above flat out bribery at this point. The photos of her had to stay quiet, whatever it took.

Pulling her concentration back to the water, Paige out distanced the senior beside her by the better part of a body length. Executing a tight turn underwater, she gained a more commanding lead as she finished her lap. Hauling her body out of the pool, she turned to watch Emily dive in, three lanes down.

The girl was a study of good mechanics, her body just the right mixture of muscle and fat to keep her at the ideal water level. She was slightly taller than Paige, longer arms giving her a genetic advantage. It figured the girl would start to peak just when Paige needed her to fail.

Between her friendly nature and increasingly competitive times, Emily would knock Paige right off competition block if she vied for the captaincy.

Coach Fulton set up their next relay, pointing at Paige and Emily to take the blocks next to each other.

"Great." Paige muttered to herself as she headed for her block. She set her position, arms poised to cut through the water on her entry dive. She spared a side glance for Emily who was in a similar position. A short blast of the whistle and they were off the block, flanked by their other teammates as they swam. Paige dropped the hammer, easily outpacing Emily on the first half of the lap.

It was as she turned to go back that Emily cut Paige's lead to nothing, her turn crisp and her kick powered by long, well developed legs. They were neck and neck by midpoint in the pool and try as she might, Paige couldn't get the rhythm to propel herself into the lead. Emily touched the side of the pool, body half out of the water by the time Paige pulled herself out.

Paige's naturally competitive nature reared up, coupling itself with the stress of 'A' looming in the shadows to leave her mouth working faster than her brain. "Ease up, Fields. This is practice, not a meet."

Coach Fulton walked over to them, a satisfied smile on her face as she held her stopwatch in hand. "Looks like somebody ate their Wheaties. Way to hustle, Emily."

"Thanks, Coach." Emily smiled brightly as she toweled herself off. Paige bristled at the interaction. Keeping herself on Coach Fulton's radar was necessary to secure the captaincy. Despite herself, Paige couldn't help but notice how cute Emily was when she smiled. Instantly irritated with her slip in concentration, Paige looked away. She had to keep her head in the game if she wanted to stay out of 'A's line of fire.

"Paige, you got some competition. Emily remembers she likes to win." Coach Fulton passed by them, walking over to the rest of the team.

"Happy to have her back," Paige said, truly meaning it as she toweled herself dry. If she could hold on to the captaincy and keep Emily, they had a real shot at the state championship. Scouts would look seriously at Rosewood High for recruits. "So, is this for real this time? Can we count on your for the full season?" Paige asked, hoping to get some idea of Emily's intentions.

"Yeah, I was distracted for a little while but that's over now."

Paige thought she detected sadness in the other girl's tone but chose to ignore it. There wasn't anything she could do about Maya.

"Okay, Good."

They finished up practice and Paige hurried to change, collecting the boxes from her gym locker. She felt like hell. If she was going to take the captaincy, she wanted it to be on her own terms. Not because she was forced into it by some psycho stalker peddling cheap ass bracelets as bribes. They were nothing more than a ploy to buy her team and if 'A' actually thought they would tip things in her favour, Paige doubted she would have gotten them in the first place.

Paige took a deep breath, straightening her shoulders as she mentally prepared her speech. Nothing off book. She would just follow the script she had laid out for herself and it would all be over soon. She walked around the locker room, pulling the boxes from the shopping bag and handing them to her teammates as she went.

"Girls. Hey, everyone. Can I get everyone's attention, please? I've been thinking a lot about team spirit lately. What is spirit and how can we create..." Paige paused to stop a teammate from peeking early. She really didn't need a visual reminder of 'A' throwing her off her game. "Actually, can you not open your presents until after I'm done? Um... like I was saying, a leader inspires spirit, these are my gift to you to boost morale."

_Or they're a lame prop in high school Hannibal's twisted little play, one of these is the truth._ Paige had an entire second act to her speech which was completely headed off by Coach Fulton, who wrapped an arm around her.

"Alrighty, alrighty, Paige. I'm sure everyone appreciates your gifts but I want you swimming, not shopping. Alright, listen up, Sharks. I want you focused, like Emily." Coach turned to the girl in question, pointing at her. "She renewed her commitment and broke a record today!" The team clapped for her before returning their attention to the coach. "Alright ladies, let's get to class. Come on."

The team began to clear the room, spreading out to their respective classes.

"Paige. I just..." Emily paused, evidently unsure what to say. Paige had nothing to say. Not only had Emily showed her up in the pool but she had firmly put herself in Coach Fulton's favour. Not good. In two weeks, one girl had single handedly thrown her entire season off track. Even if 'A' hadn't been nipping at her heels, it would have pissed her off. Paige brushed by Emily without a word, knowing it wasn't truly the other girl's fault. She didn't want to snap off something she wouldn't be able to take back later.

Paige spent the rest of her day in a fog, trying to figure an end around to get what she needed. By the time she slid into bed, she knew what had to be done. The reception to the bracelets had been lukewarm at best, no surprise there. Her speech had fallen just as flat, the wind knocked from her sails by Coach Fulton. Paige didn't have any options left.

If Paige couldn't hoist herself up, she was going to have to pull Emily down.

**888**

The next morning, practice went on without much fanfare. Paige changed quickly, waiting behind a bank of lockers as the rest of the team cleared out. Emily was often one of the last out and she didn't look to disappoint today, the girl in no hurry as she organized her locker.

Paige hadn't wanted to get too hands on with taking pokes at Emily's morale. Her preferred method would have been to start some rumours within the team, let the group do the dirty work for her. Given Emily's popularity though, it would take more than a few choice words to pull the girl from her pedestal. Paige doubted 'A' was going to give her that kind of time. She would have to go straight to the source.

The thought of it made Paige's stomach turn, openly attacking a teammate. One she liked, no less. She didn't want to do it, every sense of justice urging her to let things play out. Maybe 'A' was bluffing, using the pictures as a prod to get what he or she wanted. But what if it wasn't a bluff? What if the pictures got out?

Her father would disown her. Nick McCullers was a flat out conservative at best and that was on his forgiving days. He would probably have a boot in her ass before the last picture downloaded. And, as much as Paige loved her mother, it was rare that she didn't follow her father's lead. It would destroy her family. And never mind if the scuttlebutt made it through to the university scouts. No matter what kind of tolerance they preached, Paige knew decisions weren't made in a vacuum. Coaches had team composition to think of. Having an out lesbian running around on deck could cause tension that destroyed cohesion. No one would risk that.

Paige didn't have a choice. Any chance was too much risk. Emily would bounce back, she had proved herself resilient already. She just needed enough to throw Emily off her game temporarily, a small slip that lasted long enough to secure the captaincy.

Nodding to herself, Paige walked to Emily's locker, drawing a blank on how to start the conversation. She settled on picking up the first piece of clothing she could find to comment on. Her brain nearly shorted out when she realized she had picked up Emily's bra.

"Pretty."

"Thanks." Emily held a hand out and Paige relinquished the undergarment, pointedly trying to stop herself from picturing it on the other girl.

"Congratulations on your time today. First freestyle, now butterfly. You break any more records and we're going to have to test you for doping."

"Bring it on."

Paige leaned against locker, trying to appear casual, the conversation was already awkward enough. "You know you'll have to do more than break records if you want to become team captain."

"Who said I wanted to become captain?"

Paige paused, it hadn't really occurred to her that Emily might not want the captaincy. With the way she had come back on the scene, it was the only thing that made sense. "Come on, Emily. You checked out on this team for months and now you check back in and act like you never left. Of course you're gunning for Captain."

"I'm not gunning for anything."

The fire in Emily's eyes told Paige differently. The girl was fighting for something and if it wasn't for the captaincy, Paige couldn't think of what else it could be. She needed to break Emily down a little, she was too feisty. Paige's mind wandered back to the message that had set her on her heels, wondering if it would do the same to Emily.

"Good, because being so into the breast stroke could really end up hurting you." Paige hated the words as they left her mouth. Judging by the way she could almost see Emily's hackles raise, the other girl thought about the same.

"What does that mean?"

"It means we all know what team you really play for."

"You know what, Paige? You need to suck it up. If you want to beat me, work harder." Emily kicked her locker door closed with her boot heel, brushing past Paige without so much as a side glance. Paige leaned against the locker, a small smile edging at her lips despite the fact that she felt like utter crap. Emily had fought back like a champ, she admired that about her teammate. It was a total pain in the ass given the current situation but part of her liked knowing Emily could take care of herself.

Paige headed out of the locker room and on to class, moving through the day on autopilot. Hastings death glared her more than normal after lunch, being so bold as to 'inadvertently' hip check Paige as she walked past her in the hall. If Paige had any doubt about Emily keeping the altercation a secret from her friends, it had been officially put to rest. Great, first 'A' and now Hastings. If she stepped on any more social landmines, Paige wasn't going to get out of Rosewood High in one piece.

When the day was finally over, Paige headed for home. She sincerely hoped the small confrontation was all that was needed to convince Emily that going for the captaincy was too much trouble. She had rarely felt such shame as she had by stooping so low as to attack Emily's character with the slur. Using 'A's tormenting words no less. Paige tried to tell herself that she had no choice -that 'A' had left her with no other recourse- but it was hollow comfort.

It probably hadn't worked anyway, Emily had pushed back hard enough for Paige to know it was unlikely she would give in. Paige wasn't particularly surprised. Emily had lasted through years of friendship with Alison and Paige had a feeling that hadn't been all sunshine and roses.

Paige needed to do something more. Just a little something extra to throw Emily off and get the captaincy, she could make amends later.

Paige rolled up to her driveway, hopping off her bike with practiced ease. She locked the bike beside the garage, slightly disgruntled that both of her parents' cars were in the driveway. She had absolutely no desire to put on her happy face. She just wanted to go to bed and forget the entire day had happened.

Not to be.

Her parents were both seated already, a simple meal spread out across the long dining table. Paige took her place -always at her father's left- her backpack tucked discreetly under a side table to keep the space neat. The house was always tidy. Ready for company. For networking. For whatever cause her father was currently fronting.

Her mother rose from her chair to serve dinner, lean chicken breasts set on each plate. The rice came next, her mother doling out a heaping portion on to Paige's plate.

"Did you go for your run today?" Nick McCullers asked, almost absently. Paige knew it was an act, her father was calculating, every question held meaning more than just an off hand curiosity.

Paige fumbled for a second before shaking her head. Between homework, practice and plotting the downfall of the girl she was crushing on, her extra workout had managed to work itself right out of her day.

"Then maybe you should go a little easy on the carbs tonight." He gave a pointed look at her rice as he spoke.

Paige knew her activity level on any given day was more than enough to burn off the carbs but it was easier to give in than to argue. She cut her portion in half, catching eyes with her mother for a moment. There was sympathy there but she also knew there was solidarity with her father. Her parents rarely disagreed with one another in front of her.

Her mother pushed over a large bowl of vegetables in compromise. Paige's vegetables were steamed and bare of anything but a few herbs, a stark contrast to the glistening, butter laden veggies that her parents loaded on to their plates. Her mouth watered at the smell of butter, a forbidden food during the season. She knew her parents loved her, that her strict regimen was meant to keep her disciplined and focused on her goals. More often than not, she willingly made the sacrifice because she was just as driven to get to the top. But, every once in awhile, she wanted to shove her face into a bowl of ice cream or extra buttered popcorn. Just for spite.

The rest of dinner was a quiet affair, as per usual, her parents discussing their respective days. Paige offered up little about her own day, only giving her father a brief run down of her performance at practice. When she had completed her meal, she picked up her plate and her backpack, heading for the kitchen.

"Homework before TV," her father said, barely looking away from his conversation with her mother.

"Okay, Dad." Paige dropped her dirty dishes in the dishwasher and made her way to the basement. Her parents had converted the large space over the summer, putting in a generous room for her and leaving the rest as a small workout area. It had been meant to be a 'family' gym but Paige had yet to see either of her parents use the equipment.

She walked past the treadmill -strategically placed in front of a big screen TV- and wandered into her room to finish her homework. It was easy work to complete her assignments, the worst of her midterms behind her for the semester. When she was done, Paige found she had no desire to watch the small TV in her room, mind too preoccupied with her day.

She hated what she had said to Emily. Hated that she had to do more still to keep 'A' quiet. Emily had been one of the few people on the team Paige had hoped to forge a bond with. Someone who shared her drive. Even if Paige couldn't act on her feelings -hell, she could barely admit them to herself- it would have been nice to have someone like Emily in her corner. To live through the girl vicariously, if nothing else.

Paige was twitchy, body humming with nervous energy. She had already put more than enough time in the water for the day so she decided against swimming laps in the small pool outside. Shucking her jeans, Paige traded them for jogging shorts and a t-shirt before hopping on her treadmill.

She set the course for a longer run than normal, slowing her pace as she thumbed up her mp3 player. Her mind wandered aimlessly for a few minutes, chaotic thoughts trying to pull her in every direction. She forcibly pushed them down, wanting a moment alone in her own head before having to deal with the consequences of what was to come.

Emily was at the forefront of her thoughts, though admittedly not for the right reason. Paige's mind focused on her memory of the girl's shy smile, the way her eyes lit up whenever she used to catch sight of Maya. Paige allowed herself a moment to think what it would be like for Emily to look at her that way. To know she was the reason the other girl smiled or blushed charmingly. It was foolish to imagine Emily that way, especially with the bad blood now between them. Paige knew it but that didn't stop her from spending most of her run imagining it was her at Emily's side. When she thought of what she wanted in a person, someone bright and competitive but kind and empathetic, her brain refused to bring up anyone else as an example.

Her thoughts turned to 'A', knowing the bitch was somehow getting off on all this. The all seeing tormenter had to know about her feelings for Emily by now. They were going for maximum effect by pitting Paige against her. Paige just wished she could figure out why. What had she done to put herself on 'A's hit list?

She had searched her memory of the last year, trying to find a single point in time that could generate such hate. There was nothing. There had been run ins with teammates to be sure but nothing that smacked of earning a comeuppance of this magnitude. Hell, even Hastings -the Joker to her Batman- wouldn't have gone this far. 'A' had to know that forcing Paige toward the captaincy would mean taking shots at Emily. Hastings, as much as she might hate Paige, was a pitbull when it came to protecting her people. No way she threw Emily under the bus in an attempt at revenge.

Paige had to accept that she was no closer to figuring out who 'A' was than she had been when she first started receiving the texts. She would have to play along with her tormenter until she found a way to strike. Nodding at the decided course of action, even if its execution still made her nauseated, she turned her thoughts back to happier things.

Tonight she could have her musings. Tomorrow, she had to go to war.

**888**

Paige's eyes threatened to close as she listened to the monotonous tone of her teacher. A grueling morning practice coupled with fatigue from her long run yesterday had depleted her energy reserves. She twitched somewhat violently in her seat when her phone unexpectedly vibrated, sparing a glare for Pru who looked at her as though she had grown a third eye. Flipping open the device, she let out a small sigh of relief. The message wasn't from 'A', rather from Coach Fulton, asking to speak with her after class. Paige quirked an eyebrow, they didn't have an evening practice today. What was so important that it couldn't wait until tomorrow?

Maybe it was about the captaincy. Maybe she had actually grabbed it. This could all be over. She could apologize to Emily, get 'A' off her back... Those thoughts propelled her out of the classroom at the bell, barely a goodbye to Pru as she tore out the door. She took the shortcut through the main gym nearly sliding to a halt at the door of the locker room.

She adjusted her hair, bag cinched tight to her shoulder as she headed into the change room of the natatorium. She knew something was wrong the moment she caught sight of the coach, her expression -usually kind- was reserved and dare Paige say it, disappointed?

Her gaze shifted to Emily as she walked in beside her, eying Paige before turning her attention to Coach Fulton. Paige spared a second to take in her teammate as they waited for instructions from the coach. Knee length brown leather boots, loose army style jacket, dark hair falling free, purple scarf that hung 'just so' off a lean neck. Son of a bitch, that girl had gotten in line twice when they were handing out looks.

"Have a seat girls."

Paige froze at the tone. Something was definitely wrong. She obeyed the request, knowing whatever was coming couldn't be good.

Coach Fulton looked between the two of them. "An incident involving a homophobic comment has been brought to my attention."

Oh, shit.

Momentarily panicked, Paige turned to Emily who looked as confused as Paige was scared. If Emily hadn't told... Paige pursed her lips, she had to give 'A' points, that little bastard certainly earned their grade when it came to manipulation. 'A' had led her just far enough to turn around and slap her with what she had done. Paige was impressed. Pissed off, but impressed.

"We have a zero tolerance policy..."

Emily broke in. "Coach Fulton, whatever happened between us, it's over now." Emily looked at Paige, as if trying to silently nudge her into agreeing. Paige nodded blankly, the rest of her mind trying to catch up to what was happening. Emily was letting her off the hook. Her respect for Emily went up another notch, it took a good person to forgive so readily.

"I need to know what happened and then I'll decide if it's over."

Paige looked at Emily for guidance, the ball was in her court. The disdain was clear in the other girl's eyes. Okay, maybe 'forgive' had been too strong a word.

"There's really nothing to talk about," Emily assured, looking directly at the coach. Paige did her best to convey innocence, still wondering why Emily would cover for her.

"In that case, you can go, Paige."

Paige collected her things and moved out as fast as she could, not wanting to give the coach another crack at her. With her luck, she would end up spilling all about 'A' and Paige knew that was a recipe for disaster.

She did her best to put the close call out of her mind, going through her usual routine as she biked home and joined her parents for supper. Her father was in an abnormally congenial mood, offering to time her as she did her laps in the home pool to make up for not having an evening practice. Even though the thought of having him critique her every move put her brain on high alert, Paige welcomed the company. If nothing else, trying to keep herself in perfect form would give her a problem other than 'A' to chew on.

He put her through her paces, randomly calling out the strokes to test her transitions. She knew she would be sore in the morning, Coach Fulton rarely made them go at full pace for the length of the practice. Her father demanded no less than putting the hammer down, offering bits of advice as Paige powered through the water. When he finally called time, Paige tugged her goggles off, breathing heavily as she hauled her body out of the pool.

"Hit the hot tub, kiddo. Keep those muscles loose." He handed her the towel, following behind her as she made her way to the deck where they kept the hot tub. "You shaved a half second off your P.B." He nodded approvingly as he glanced at the lap times he had written out. "But your butterfly is still sloppy. Should I call Keith to come take a look or can you fix it?"

"I can do it." Her form had been perfect for the first ten sets of laps, by the time she had hit thirty, she had admittedly let her strokes deteriorate. It was a matter of conditioning, not technique. There was no need to call in the private swimming coach her Dad had found. She would just amp up her training in the gym to compensate.

"Good, I'll get your mother to bring you out some protein, keep warm." He left her soaking in the tub, her head lolling back as she rubbed at her shoulders to keep them from knotting up. Her mom came out shortly after her father went in, a glass of protein enhanced smoothie in hand.

"You looked wonderful out there, Paige."

"Thanks, Mom. I've got to do some extra cardio training, I got sloppy at the end."

Her mother didn't say anything, likely recognizing her husband's words coming out of Paige's mouth. She merely kissed Paige on the top of her head and made her way back inside. After the hot water turned her into a pile of red skinned mush, Paige went down to her room to change. A quick dry, tugging her hair into a loose ponytail to thwart any potentials knots, Paige lay down and drifted to deep sleep.

**888**

The next morning, Paige spent her first two classes in somewhat of a fog, body weary from two long workouts the day before. Even was Pru steering clear, her 'good morning' rebuffed with barely a sleepy grunt from Paige.

She hadn't heard anything from 'A' which was a surprise, considering the stunt the bitch had pulled yesterday by ratting her out to the coach.

Paige had no idea how she was going to fix the situation. Coach was pissed, her teammates certainly wouldn't be of any help and Emily thought she was some kind of homophobe. She probably wasn't going to get the captaincy now which meant within a matter of days, 'A' would out her. Not bad for a couple days work. Maybe she should just come clean, tell Emily she had been put up to it.

And then what?

Tell the other girl that some mysterious texting stalker had forced her hand? Emily would probably laugh in her face. If Emily found out the reason she had gone along with 'A's twisted little game, Paige was totally cooked anyway. There were no secrets between Alison's friends and Paige knew the minute Hastings got wind of her crush on Emily, the other girl would use it for payback.

No. She had to stick with the plan. Besides, telling Emily might encourage 'A' to rope the other girl into their twisted game. Damned if Paige would be responsible for that.

The bell rang and Paige headed for the door with barely a word for Pru. Her eyes focused anywhere but Emily and Spencer, the latter of which she could feel staring daggers into her back. She skipped the lunch room entirely, heading directly for the school's small gym. Given that her stomach was turning in nervous knots, whatever she attempted to eat was liable to come right back up anyway.

Paige tugged on her workout gear, a white sports and orange tank top, complete with black spandex shorts. A quick tug to pull on her sneakers and she was off to the weight room. Paige hopped on the treadmill, ignoring the weights completely as she put in her earphones. Her legs and shoulders were sore from her extended swim the night before but she pushed through it. It was as much in self punishment as it was an attempt to drown out her thoughts.

Her peripheral vision picked up someone in the hall outside but Paige didn't bother to turn her head, knowing full well who it was. She had often seen Emily pass through this way to get to the locker room. Emily stood and watched her for a moment before passing on, heading through the back hallway to the natatorium.

When her legs wouldn't take any more abuse, Paige hopped off the treadmill, wiping her face free of sweat. She had clocked in a good hour of running, more than enough cardio for the day. She left without completing a set of weights knowing that, as fatigued as her muscles were, she would likely do more harm than good.

She walked down the quiet hallway to the showers, taking longer than normal to soak, hoping the steamy spray would somehow make her feel clean again. When she couldn't take the heat any longer, she shut off the water, toweling herself dry as she headed for her gear. Her phone flashed at her, another message. Having a good idea of who it was and what the message would contain, Paige chose to ignore it. At this point, a few minutes wouldn't make much of a difference one way or the other.

Paige took in the well equipped locker room, eyes finding the latest posting for their next meet. She padded over, flip flops squelching on the tile as she read through the heat set ups.

"Wait." No. That couldn't be right, she had been punted out of her slot. Emily was anchoring.

Paige leaned her head against the wall, closing her eyes as reality truly sank in. If there was a brighter sign that Coach Fulton had lost faith in her, Paige couldn't think of what it was. Even if Emily had slightly better times, Paige's dedication to the team should have kept her at anchor. Coach Fulton was as much about rewarding long term loyalty as she was about rewarding performance. A loyalty that Fulton had never questioned until yesterday. Paige couldn't even blame her for it, she had brought it on herself. No way she made captain now which meant she was officially on her own.

'A' was going to out her. It wouldn't take more than a day for the word to spread around the school. Paige wasn't Emily, she didn't have the support system to watch her back when the gossip machine started to churn. She had all but destroyed any chance of creating an ally in the one person who knew what she was going to face. Maybe this was what 'A' had wanted. They had set Paige up to fail, forcing her to cut her own legs out from under her.

Her only action now was to decide how this all came out, pun not withstanding. Would it better for her parents to hear it from her or through the rumour mill? Didn't matter, either way. The end result would be the same. Her father would look at her with nothing but shame.

Paige pushed herself from the wall, heading for her gear. She couldn't bear the thought of tugging her jeans back on, opting instead for her simple 'Rosewood Sharks' track suit. She slicked her hair back, sitting on the bench with her head in her hands.

Her phone vibrated, an unwelcome reminder that she had a message. She flipped it open, unsurprised to find the blocked number.

**You didn't do what Simon said. Time's up. You're out.-A**

Paige blew out a breath, tapping her phone against head. Game over.

"All right then." Paige stood, shoving her things into her locker. She hadn't wanted it to come this -had done her best to stop it- but now that it was happening, she refused to lay down and take it. She would face it like she had every other opponent, teeth bared and fists swinging. First things first, she needed to apologize to Emily. If the jig was up, she wanted the girl to hear it from her, not through the convoluted communication system that was the high school grapevine.

What could she say? How could she say it? Maybe lead with the apology and then head into the reasons for her appalling behaviour. She would leave 'A' out of it. She didn't want Emily involved in whatever 'A' was planning. And blaming some mysterious stalker for her jackassery just seemed cheap. She had made her choice, decided to be weak rather than strong. She had to live with the consequences now.

Paige tucked her phone into her pocket and headed for the natatorium, running the conversation through her mind as she walked. She reached the pool deck, leaning against the bleachers for a moment as she watched Emily swim. She didn't want to break the girl from her rhythm. Emily's form was poetry in motion, each stroke an efficient pull that propelled her down the length of the pool.

Paige's phone beeped again and she rolled her eyes, pulling it from her pocket. She fully expected it to be a text from 'A' telling her the photos had gone across the broadband. Whatever. The bitch could have this round. When the dust settled from her outing, she was going to make it her personal mission to search out 'A' and destroy them. Steeling herself for 'A's taunt, Paige flipped open her phone, blood draining from her face at a message that was far more chilling than she expected.

**Simon says you get a second chance. Scare Emily off the team. Or I will.-A**

Paige froze, rereading the text, hoping it would morph into something less ominous. No such luck. It seemed no matter how much she wanted to keep Emily out of 'A's sights, they just kept zeroing in on the girl. How far would 'A' go to scare Emily?

Between the break ins, the stalking and the flat out threats, it didn't seem that actual violence was a far fetched idea. The psychotic bastard had already proven themselves willing to go the extra mile. At least if she scared Emily, she knew it would be just that. A scare tactic.

It wasn't ideal by any stretch and Paige would never go so fast as to hurt the other girl, 'A' or not. But maybe she could get them out of this. Or at least get Emily off 'A's radar. If she was off the team, Emily wouldn't be close enough to Paige to bother with. Maybe 'A' was a teammate. Someone who wanted both Paige and Emily off the team and had pegged her as the easiest to manipulate. Paige frowned, realizing she had been far too easy to control. The thought rankled her as she debated what to do.

Paige sucked in a deep breath, knowing that what she had to do would kill any chance of Emily looking at her as something other than a freak. If it kept Emily out of 'A's sick game, it was a sacrifice she had to be willing to make. 'A' wasn't playing around and she wasn't going to risk the girl's safety by betting on the bluff of a psychopath.

There wouldn't be a better time to make her move. Emily was on her own, the uber protective Hastings nowhere in sight. It was Paige's best chance to make a lasting impression. Isolated, alone and totally unaware of Paige's presence.

Walking up to the edge of the pool, Paige waited until Emily reached the edge, toned legs kicking in an easy fashion. Steeling herself against her stomach's immediate urge to rebel, Paige knelt down and pressed her hand on Emily's head, pushing the girl back underwater. She cringed as Emily struggled, the air bubbles that popped up showing that she had definitely caught the other swimmer off guard. Emily fought hard against her grip and -worried that Emily had let out too much air in the struggle- Paige let up on the pressure. She weakened her push long enough to make sure Emily got a breath before shoving her down again, using her body weight to hold her underwater. It took a few more seconds before Emily switched on, kicking off the edge of the pool to get out of Paige's reach.

Emily tugged her goggles from her head, looking up Paige, her expression a cross of panic and anger. "What the hell?"

Figuring the best way to sell the act was to stay in character, Paige leaned forward. "I saw the line up. I know what you're doing."

"What are you talking about?"

"Coach replaced me as the relay anchor with you." She didn't have to fake the tone of discontent, the replacement had truly stung.

"So go and talk to coach."

"I would never rat out a teammate because my feelings were hurt." Paige spat out the word 'feelings' as though it were a bad piece of fruit. She tried to project as much menace into her body as she could while crouched down, half soaked in flip flops and a track suit. "I take care of things myself."

With that, Paige stormed off, struggling to hold her body steady as shaking legs threatened to give out beneath her. She kept control of herself long enough to make it to the garbage can, the meager remnants of her breakfast making an escape from her stomach. When she was satisfied she had nothing more to offer, she wiped her mouth off, body shaking with nerves as she slid to the ground. She dropped her head into her hands, the tears coming unbidden to her eyes.

What the hell had she done?

_Tbc..._


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: Nope, not mine.

**Author's Note**: This chapter contains spoilers for S01E16, 'Je Suis Une Amis'. My original plan was to post one chapter per episode... we all know about what happens to the best laid plans so let's just see how we go. There are a couple of curse words kicking around in this chapter, fair warning.

Thank you for the reviews, faves and follows. I replied to all those the system would allow me to. If I couldn't reply, please know I still loved hearing from you. :)

As always, comments and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated. Enjoy!

**888**

Paige spent the bottom half of her day nearly crawling out of her skin. Every time the PA system clicked on she thought it was the principal calling her to his office. She had damn near had a full blown panic attack when their local police officer had walked past her class.

A small part of Paige hoped Emily had told someone, that she would be forced her to reveal her reason behind the attack. And it had been an attack. Her stunt in the natatorium had been nothing short of a full on assault. That she had gone through with it made Paige question herself. She was competitive and she didn't suffer weakness lightly but she had always tried not to be malicious. Now...

Paige shook her head, reluctantly heading toward the pool. She kept her head down and eyes low, keeping herself as far from Emily's locker as possible. It wasn't easy, considering they had lockers beside each other but she fussed around in the equipment area until she was sure she was in the clear. Emily didn't acknowledge her all practice, seeming to look right through if her gaze ever passed over Paige. If Emily had told the coach or any of the teammates about the encounter, they were all playing it close to the vest. Practice went on as usual as they prepared for their Friday meet against their closest rivals in the standings.

When Coach called an end to practice, Paige lit out of the natatorium like she was on fire, barely taking the time to throw on her warm up suit as she left. She was on her bike and down the street before any of her teammates had filtered out of the school, glad to have such a horrible day behind her.

She was home earlier than normal, her mother still in the midst of cooking supper. The smell of freshly baked rolls wafted through the lower level and Paige's empty stomach made itself known. She dropped her bag at the basement stairs and headed for the kitchen. Her mother smiled at her as she came in, pausing in mid chop of a carrot.

"Hey, Mom."

"Hey, Sweetie. You're early, did the coach go easy on you guys today?"

"A little bit, I guess. We have a big meet coming up, she probably doesn't want to tire us out." Paige opened the fridge, pulling out the fresh fruit smoothie her mother kept stocked for her. Pouring herself a generous glass, she downed it in a few zealous gulps. "I skipped lunch to do some extra work in the gym," she explained at her mother's wide eyed look. The elder McCullers woman pushed over the basket of fresh buns and smiled conspiringly.

"Don't tell your father." With that, her mother turned away, giving Paige the opportunity to pilfer two of the carb loaded treats.

"Thanks, Mom."

She juggled the scalding buns in her hands as she headed for her room. She inhaled the first one, barely pausing to chew the buttery treat. She made a point to slow down and enjoy the second. Bread, white bread no less, was a rare luxury during the season.

Paige sat to do her homework, trudging through half an hour of algebra when she heard her dad come home. Ten minutes after that, her mom called her to supper. She sat in her usual place, listening to her father talk about his day.

"I heard something interesting from Dean today," Nick said when his talk about office politics had run its course. He turned to Paige and alarm bells began to sound in her head. Dean was Dean McNabb, the father of one of her teammates. "Apparently there's a new anchor for Friday's meet?"

His tone, a cross between statement and question left Paige no room to maneuver around the subject.

"Coach updates the relay order after practice. I had an off day, Emily took my slot. I'll get it back," she assured. With all the drama with 'A', Paige had almost allowed herself to forget making anchor wasn't just her desire, it was her father's will.

"You can't afford any slip-ups Paige," Nick began. "This is the year the scouts will really start to cherry pick. You need to stand out and you can't do that in the middle of the pack."

Paige wanted to argue that second place wasn't exactly middle of the pack but she knew it would fall on deaf ears. To Nick McCullers, second was only the first loser.

"I'll get it back, Dad."

He nodded, no other words needed between them as her mother looked on in silence.

**888**

Thursday morning found Paige sliding out of bed, bleary eyed from a night spent trying to come up with a plan of attack. She had two goals for the day and she was damned it she wouldn't accomplish them both. She had to get her slot back and she had to warn Emily about 'A'.

Emotionally harassing Emily hadn't worked. Physically harassing her hadn't worked. Paige had gone as far as she was willing to go in both respects and the girl still hadn't caved. There was only one thing left to do and that let Emily know that Paige hadn't been acting on her own. It was wrong to keep the girl in the dark, especially if 'A' had her in her sights. Paige just had to figure out a way to do it without 'A' knowing.

It was going to be a challenge -the bitch was everywhere- but she had no choice but to try.

Paige opened her drawer to pull out her swimming gear, grimacing when the drawer stuck. She pulled out a swimsuit and clean set of warm-ups and let out a low curse when she couldn't push the drawer closed. Stupid thing had been sticking for weeks. Putting her weight into it, she shut drawer with a slam. Her small collection of stuffed animals shook with the force of it, her plush Rosewood Shark tumbling to the floor. Paige scooped him off the ground, hugging the small animal to her chest as she took a deep breath, forcing her mind to slow down. She needed to stay calm. Stay on script.

Nodding to herself, Paige put her shark back in place, a frown shaping her lips when she noticed something was off. Her 'Oski' bear was in place, along with her lion from Penn State. Most of her stuffed animals were present and accounted for. It seemed her Danby mascot had gotten lost in the fray. Paige rolled her eyes. Her stuffies had been popping up in random places for days after 'A' had rearranged her room. She had found Oski, a golden bear, sitting next to the honey in the cupboard upstairs. In the mayhem of 'A's continual stunts, Paige hadn't realized her Danby one was AWOL.

Sloughing it off as something she would deal with later, Paige slung her bag and made her way up to the ground level. The scent of bacon and eggs permeated the dining room and Paige found herself resenting as she walked in. It was hard enough to deny herself food she loved, it certainly didn't make it any easier when her parents paraded it in front of her.

She sat, staring at her bowls of fruit, yogurt and oatmeal before her eyes zoned in on her father's more appealing plate. If he noticed her ten yard stare, he didn't say.

"I'll drive you to school today. I want you in the pool early, warming up."

It would be fruitless to argue so Paige merely nodded and ate her breakfast in silence. She cleared her plate quickly, knowing they were going off her father's timing. Sure enough, as soon as his fork touched his plate, he was pushing himself out of his seat.

"Here, Sweetheart. No more skipping lunch." Her mother handed her a brown bag, stuffed to the breaking point with fruit and vegetables, tuna and crackers added for protein. "Good luck today."

She accepted the hug and kiss to her temple, relaxing into her mother's embrace. The simplicity of it, having that small moment of connection, was enough to ground her. It was the first time in weeks that she hadn't felt completely overwhelmed.

A distinct cough from her father brought the short moment to an end and Paige was on the move, following him out to the car. The sat in tense silence as he pulled out of the driveway and set them on course for Rosewood High.

"Emily Fields, she's the young lady who quit the team earlier this year?"

"She took a break," Paige hedged. "She was dealing with some personal stuff."

"She quit." Nick McCullers restated. Paige shrugged, defending Emily any further would make him call her own commitment into question.

"Why is Coach Fulton allowing her back?"

"I don't know. I didn't ask." Paige had wanted to but Emily had pulled more than her own weight since being back and the team had needed the boost.

"What did she do on her time off? Work with a private coach?"

"I really don't know, Dad. We haven't spoken much since she got back." Accused her of doping, took potshots at her sexuality, assaulted her, but not a lot of speaking.

"She's your biggest threat on this team, Paige. Don't you think you should make it your business to find out what she's been doing?"

"I'm just trying to concentrate on myself, Dad. My times are down, I've anchored in the last four meets..."

"And yet this girl steps out of nowhere and takes your position."

"I'll get it back, it was just a bad day," Paige promised as they pulled up to the curb.

"I'm not going to wish you luck because luck is for the ill prepared. You know what you need to do, get it done."

Paige nodded and slid out of her seat, closing the door behind her. School was quiet, few other teams engaging in early morning practice. She nodded at a few teachers as she passed on her way to the pool. She quickly peeled off her warm ups, tossing her bag into her locker and tugged on her swimcap as she walked on deck.

The pool was empty, not even Coach was in the water. Paige had found Fulton swimming laps more than once in the early mornings. She left the woman to her own training, her calm presence welcome, neither of them needing to speak as they went through their routines. Today, the pool was quiet, lights on in Coach's office but the woman nowhere to be seen. Paige dove in, her body making little splash as it sliced through. She worked through her warm up laps, alternating strokes to loosen all her muscles as she allowed her mind to wander.

She needed a concrete plan to warn Emily. Maybe a note in her locker?

No. Too much chance of 'A' seeing her. Maybe a private conversation. Something like the mob movies her dad was always watching where they would meet at a noisy construction site so no one could hear what they were saying. Paige threw that idea out. She doubted Emily would get within ten feet of her alone. Arranging a clandestine meet was probably a recipe for getting hockey sticked across the back of the cranium by Hastings.

Paige's team began to filter in as she finished her last set of warm-ups, each girl diving lithely into the cool pool. Emily made a point of steering clear of Paige but otherwise showed no other indication that things from yesterday were getting to her.

Coach arrived shortly after the last girl jumped in, putting them through their paces before setting up the practice relays to determine the swimming order for Friday. They only had one practice the day before a meet. The practice tomorrow morning would be strictly fine tuning. This was it, her last chance to reclaim her position as anchor.

Four of them were in contention for the slot. Of them, only Emily would be any trouble. Paige stepped onto her block -Emily two blocks down- and tugged her goggles into place. Paige drew on years of training, closing her mind to all things, her Dad, Emily, 'A', to focus solely on the water.

The assistant coach blew the whistle and Paige launched herself off the platform, knowing as her body hit that it had been a good entry. Midway through the first half of the lap she had already over taken one teammate, Chloe. The edge came up and Paige executed a tight flip turn, pushing off the side wall with muscular legs. The girl immediately to her right, Vicky, flubbed the turn, not getting a full shot of power when she pushed.

It was just Paige and Emily. Paige dug for every inch, dogging the other girl all the way down the pool.

So concentrated on her technique, on keeping everything as tight as possible, it was a surprise when her hand slapped the cement edge of the pool. She surfaced with Emily, the girl staring straight at her before they turned to watch the other two come in, at least two seconds behind them.

Their teammates all clapped as Coach Fulton and her assistant compared notes on their clipboards. They nodded at each other and motioned everyone out of the pool. Paige hauled herself out, grabbing a towel as she followed the coach into the locker room, Emily just ahead of her. She heard the word 'tied' and blinked. No way.

"Was there a second watch? Was anyone else keeping time?" She asked, wrapping her towel around her dripping body.

"It was a tie, Paige. You and Emily tied." Coach Fulton couldn't have looked more pleased if she tried. To have two swimmers with such competitive times meant their team was in good shape. That they kept nipping at each others heels -forcing them to train harder to cut their times to keep the choice position- that was even better.

"So, what's going to happen? Who gets to anchor tomorrow?" Emily asked, looking from Paige to Coach Fulton.

"Can't decide that yet." Coach dismissed them from their semi-private conversation, taking a step back to address the rest of the team. "Alright, listen up Sharks. We'll meet tomorrow morning, same place, same time and we'll have ourselves a little swim off."

With that, the coach turned to discuss practice with some of the others.

"I guess we'll just figure this out tomorrow." Emily didn't seem particularly upset. Paige envied her, she didn't have the luxury to be nonchalant.

"You figure it out, I need to win," she said, breezing past the other girl. She hadn't meant to snap at Emily but if she didn't get this sorted, Paige would have even less to defend herself with. If 'A' was going to expose her, Paige needed every bit of ammo to keep her father from going nuclear.

Paige stormed from the locker room, still clad in her warm ups. Her dad was going to kill her. Everything she had said to calm him down and now... Damn it. Emily had been on her game today. Paige had felt solid but it hadn't been one of those 'one with the water' moments. She could do better. She had to do better.

She had walked out on Emily without giving thought to warning her. Paige shook it off, Emily would be in class, surrounded by people all day. She doubted that even 'A' was ballsy enough to strike in the open. Paige would worry about the other girl later.

"Hey," Pru greeted as she sidled up to Paige in the hallway. "It is safe to communicate or are you still operating in hyperspeed?"

"Huh, what?" Paige turned her focus to her friend who appeared less than impressed. "Sorry, I missed that."

"Surprise, surprise. You've been a total space cadet all week. What's up?"

"Nothing, just got a lot on my mind. We have our meet tomorrow and coach is playing with the line up."

"Playing with it how?" Pru asked, her voice cautious. After nearly a decade of friendship, she knew how possessive Paige was of her position.

"She dropped me for Fields."

"Ooh, no wonder you look like someone pissed in your cornflakes." Pru held up at Paige's locker, waiting for her to retrieve her textbooks for chemistry. "Can you get it back?"

"Swim off tomorrow," Paige said tightly, knowing tonight was going to be a full on shitstorm of criticism from her father.

"No problem. Smoke her in the pool and let her know who's boss."

Paige pursed her lips, accepting that no matter how she tried… "I may not be able to beat her."

"What? Since when does Paige McCullers ever say 'die'? Your dad would beat us both if he heard that, you for saying it and me for being a witness. You can take her," Pru assured. "Look at her," she pointed to Emily who was collecting her books, Hastings at her side. "She's nothing... You're the one who puts in two a days, you're the one who spent the summer working with a private coach. You held that whole team together when Emily bailed. You deserve this, not her. Now, suck it up, eat this," Pru handed her half of her bacon and egg sandwich. "And meet me at the pool at lunch."

"What for?"

"Practice. You know your dad is going to toss you in the pool as soon as you get home, better to work out the kinks now."

"You don't swim."

"Nooo," Pru looked at her as though she were dense. "I'm going to be holding the stopwatch. You're going to be swimming. C'mon, before Mrs. Ellison freaks on us for being late."

Paige followed behind her friend, passing the seated foursome as they entered the classroom. The Hastings hate stare was in full force and Paige returned it, knowing she deserved at least a portion of the girl's ire but unwilling to back down regardless. Her eyes passed over to Emily who met hers momentarily before finding anywhere else to look.

Paige continued on, making the required notes in her book as Mrs. Ellison explained the latest topic. Algebra passed in much the same way and Paige was grateful when the bell rung, releasing her to head to the pool.

Pru was as good as her word, already on deck by the time Paige had changed. Her friend had rolled her jeans up to the knee, sneakers atop the bleachers to keep them dry.

"Alright, Superstar," Pru waived a clipboard at her. "I've got your last meet times and Field's most recent."

"...How?"

"Coach Fulton gave them to me," Pru pointed to the office where Paige could see her coach working on some papers as she ate her lunch.

"Thanks, Pru."

"Whatever knocks you out of Perma PMS," Pru said before pulling a neon whistle from her pocket. Paige recognized it as some of the swag they had handed out at the last meet. Pru gave a sharp blow. "In the pool, McCullers! Go, go go! You think we have all day?"

Paige smirked at her friend's forced enthusiasm, diving obligingly into the pool. She completed a few laps in each style to warm up her body before pulling herself on to the starting block.

"Ready?" Pru asked, stop watch prepped, whistle dangling from her lips. Paige settled her shoulders, clearing her mind as she nodded. A sharp whistle and she was off, keeping her form tight as she moved. A quick flip turn and she made her way back, slapping the edge. She looked up, Pru's frown letting her know it hadn't been a good go.

"Two seconds away from your personal best."

Paige hauled herself up and reset on the block, going through the routine four more times before she called for a break. Pru showed her the times, they had gradually gotten better until she met her personal best. Still a second behind the new record Emily had set.

"Is she that much faster in the pool?" Pru asked, holding up a towel for Paige.

"No." Paige shook her head, she consistently outpaced Emily on the first leg. It was the turn that held her back. "She's got a really great turn, that's where she makes her lead."

"Then let's work on that."

Paige nodded, hopping back into the water. She performed her usual turn in slow motion, mentally checking for any issues in her form. She tucked her legs a little tighter to her chest to get more spring from her kick, irritated that it threw her off in mid turn. Small and explosive was the key and Emily had somehow managed to nail it down perfectly.

It was after dozens of turns -she had lost count around twenty- that Paige began to question what the hell she was doing. She certainly wasn't having fun. She had started swimming early in life, her love for water keeping her in the pool from sun up to sun down in the summers. The water had always brought her peace and calm. Then her father had gotten hold of it.

He didn't press her into sports she didn't like but if she liked it than by God, she had to be the best. He flogged her training until the simple joy she experienced from participating disappeared. It was replaced by a ferocious need to compete, a need to win. Failure was unacceptable. The realization dawned on her as she surfaced. As much as she had once loved to swim, the pleasure she got from it had all but disappeared. She no longer swam because she wanted to, it was yet another responsibility that hung around her neck. Competing to test herself was one thing, doing it to stay on the right side of her father's regard brought with it a stress that was intolerable.

She didn't want to do it anymore.

"Hey, Earth to Paige. Where'd you go?"

Paige looked up at her friend, uncomfortable with offering up her sudden epiphany. "Nowhere, I'm good. I think I've got an idea about the turn. I'll work on it some more at home."

"You sure? We still have a few minutes before class." Pru was being polite but Paige could tell she was itching to get some proper lunch before class

"Nah, I'm good. Thanks, Pru. I really appreciate it."

"No problem." The girl gave a wave and moved on, her sneakers and backpack tucked under arm. Paige moved slower, her free period after lunch giving her the opportunity to take her time.

She had just collected her towel when Coach Fulton walked out of her office, headed toward her. Paige fought not to panic, hoping she wasn't about to get another dressing down.

"Hey, Coach." She kept her tone friendly but subdued, knowing she was a long way from getting off Fulton's shit list.

"Hey, Paige." She looked out at the water, nodding as if something had agreed with her. "Looking good out there."

"I still can't get it quite right but I think I know what the problem is."

"Do you?" Coach Fulton's turned to Paige, serene gaze seeming to search for something. Her tone made Paige wonder if there was a deeper meaning to the question. Paige met the gaze of her coach, a woman Paige had respected since the day she stepped on deck. Coach Fulton rewarded hard work and took the time to foster everyone' s talent. No matter how hopeless they all seemed in the beginning. Paige trusted her and looked up to her as a mentor.

Paige sat on the bleachers, Coach sitting beside her, both of them staring out at the pool.

"I know how hard you work, Paige. That's never been in question. But you can't always hammer at a problem until it breaks. Sometimes you have to take a step back, think it through. Figure out if the problem is actually a problem, or just a situation that you're looking at from the wrong perspective."

Paige looked over, seeing nothing but kind understanding reflected in Fulton's eyes. The woman was definitely probing at a deeper than surface level. It was odd, Paige had lied to her parents -to herself- for so long but one look from her mentor and she knew she couldn't speak false.

"It's a problem for me not to be the best," Paige admitted. "It's a problem if I'm not... what my father expects me to be."

"That's his problem, Paige. Not yours. Your responsibility is to be the best version of you that you can be. Whoever that is." They locked eyes, Fulton waiting for Paige's nod of understanding before she patted her knee and stood. "Keep those turn tight, McCullers. You'll nail it."

Paige watched her leave, thankful to have such a calm presence in her life. Coach Fulton was right, she had to live with whatever choices she made. Lately, none of those choices had been good ones. She couldn't fix it all, not all at once, but she could start.

The thought gave her more peace that she'd had in months as she walked away from the pool.

**888**

Paige dropped her bag under the side table and took her seat for supper. The look from her father showed he was aware of the swim off. Damn McNab for being such a daddy's girl.

"I spent lunch fixing it," Paige led with as she took a portion of vegetables, leaving the carb loaded potatoes alone. Better to placate him now, she could start her quiet rebellion once she had her feet under her.

"You'll spend tonight perfecting it." He said, his tone leaving no room to disagree. Paige nodded, finishing her dinner quickly before slipping out of the tense room. She thought she heard the beginnings of dissent from her mother but chose to ignore it as she went to the basement to change into her swimsuit.

A quick change and she was back in the water, foregoing full laps for practicing the turn. She had been at it for nearly an hour when her father showed up poolside, eyes like lasers as he watched her form. She had gotten the flip turn under control, hitting the sweet spot three of every four tries.

"When we talked about this yesterday, you said you could handle it." He stood on the pool deck, hands on his hips as he looked down at her.

"I am handling it. She's not faster, her turn was throwing me off. I've got it sorted out."

"You told me that this morning."

Paige pursed her lips, she was doing her best. Short of dropping school to train eight hours a day, there wasn't much more for her to give. He knew how hard she worked, would it kill him to acknowledge the dedication that he seemed to take for granted?

"How long have you been in the water today?"

Paige added the hours in her head. "Three and a half, maybe four."

"You're done." He took a towel from the chaise and held it out. "If it's not fixed by now, it won't get fixed by tomorrow. You'll only tire yourself out. I'll call Keith and arrange a time this weekend for him to look at your form."

"Dad..." Paige pulled herself out of the pool, accepting the towel.

"No arguments." He walked away, effectively closing the conversation. Paige stalked to the hot tub and slid in to the water, hoping the steam would cover her reddening cheeks as she fought not to cry. She couldn't do this. Couldn't keep wandering around on her own while trying to fight battles on all fronts. She needed allies. Maybe Coach was right, Paige was looking at the problem wrong. Maybe the key to this wasn't trying to push Emily out but to ally herself to the girl. She would need her support more than ever once 'A' did their dirty work. And Emily deserved to know someone other that Paige was gunning for her. She had put it off this afternoon but the clock was ticking. If she wanted her apology to come off as genuine, it had to be now, before it looked like a desperate attempt for support.

Paige hauled herself out of the tub and went to her room to dry off, planning what to say in her mind. She would definitely lead with the apology, assuming she could even get her foot in the door. She wouldn't blame Emily if she sicced Hasting on her.

She would tell Emily she was sorry. Then explain herself, that she had reacted poorly out of fear, not out of hatred. She wasn't afraid _of _Emily, she was afraid _for_ her, for herself. For whatever fallout would happen when it inevitably got out that she, straight laced McCullers, was queer as a three dollar bill.

The real question was should she tell the girl about 'A'? Should she get into specifics or that there were simply rumours through back channels that someone had set their sights on both of them? Paige was on the fence, knowing that if she told Emily and Emily told her friends, it would spell trouble. Especially if Hastings got hold of it.

The girl was a dog with a bone and if she thought Emily was under threat, she would probably burn the damn school down to get answers. Paige had a feeling 'A' wouldn't be happy about the spotlight and while she wanted to keep Emily safe, she didn't want to go out of her way to paint a target on her own back.

Paige threw on jeans and a t-shirt, lacing up her favourite pair of sneakers. She grabbed the team roster list from her binder, adding Emily's number to her phone. The address wasn't far, she could walk it if she chose but the weather was calling for rain. She would grab her bike, it couldn't be more than a five minute ride.

The sun had long since set as she made her way upstairs, the days progressively shorter as they headed into the depths of fall. Her parents were on the couch, speaking in low, heated tones as Paige came into the living room. Her mother caught her eyes, immediately falling silent. So they had been talking about her. Just great.

"Where you headed off to, Sweetheart?"

"Just going for a bike ride."

"Oh, Paige, it's dark out," her mother protested.

"I'll be fine," she assured.

"Home by eleven."

Paige glanced at her watch, it was nearly ten thirty already. "Dad..." Her usual curfew was twelve on school nights.

"You need to rest for tomorrow. Home by eleven, Paige."

She said nothing, merely nodded and walked out. She collected her bike from the garage, pedaling through the park across from her house as a shortcut to Emily's. It began to spit on her just as she made it out of the park, the dark clouds promising more to come. She pedaled furiously, the sky opening above her just as she turned on to Emily's street, thunder booming in the sky.

By the time she made it to Emily's house, being dry seemed but a distant dream. Approaching her hot, lesbian teammate while looking like a drowned rat, awesome. Thank you, Mother Nature.

Paige had decided against calling Emily beforehand, not wanting to give her the opportunity to refuse to see her. Dropping her bike on the grass, she made short work of the steps, shivering as she pulled her phone from her pocket. She sent off a quick text, hoping Emily wasn't under a mandated bedtime like she was. Ridiculous.

Paige waited, figuring Emily wouldn't just leave her standing on the porch. At the very least, the girl would come down to tell her to 'fuck off' in person. Paige wrapped her arms around herself, shaking her head at what had brought her here. Where she had let herself be led. 'A' had done their level best to throw Paige off track and she had let them.

Paige flinched as her phone beeped, maybe Emily wouldn't actually come down to meet her. This wasn't going quite to plan. If she had to go off book, the whole conversation was going to get all kinds of messy. She flipped open her phone, pursing her lips at the message.

**Missing something? -A**

Paige turned as a light flipped on inside Emily's house, tucking her phone away and wrapped her arms around her body to hold in some of the heat. The door opened, a waft of warm air making her shiver more. Emily stood in the doorway -unfairly sexy even in her pjs- her confusion evident. Paige opened her mouth to speak, looking just past Emily, hoping it would help her concentrate. Her eyes landed on a flash of red and white, slightly out of place in the muted tones of the house. And there, in all his glory was her missing Danby mascot, sitting upright in a chair next to the sideboard table, staring Paige down.

Damn.

'A' had been in Emily's house. Paige felt her lips twitch, her eyes blurring at the sudden realization, that whoever 'A' was, Paige was completely out of her depth. She had never stood a chance. 'A' had known she would try to go to Emily and had struck first. It was a not so subtle show that 'A' could be anywhere, be anyone. And Paige had no fucking clue.

"Paige?" Emily prompted. "Are you okay?"

"No."

"What happened?"

In a moment of sickening near hysteria, Paige almost laughed at the question. What hadn't happened?

"You have every reason to hate me. I don't even know why I'm here." The words were out of her mouth before she realized she had spoken, her planned script lying broken at her feet. There was no way she could tell Emily now, the implied threat was clear. 'A' could access her teammate as easily as they had gotten to Paige. The best she could do was apologize, for all the failures Emily had seen, and those she could never know of.

"I don't hate you."

"I would. I do." For everything. For lying. For hurting Emily in a lame and fruitless attempt to protect herself. For being so scared of her own damn shadow that she had let things get to this point, cornered by a goddamn cellphone.

"Don't say that."

Paige couldn't stand the concern she felt coming from Emily. She didn't deserve it. She had gone out of her way to hurt the girl and here Emily was, trying to defend Paige to herself. It was no wonder 'A' had chosen Paige as their patsy. Emily was too strong, too freaking perfect to have blinked first. Paige would have chosen herself as the weak link too.

"I'm sorry, Emily. I just wanted you to know." Knowing that she had said all she could and probably more than she should have, Paige turned away. She fairly hurtled herself down Emily's driveway to her bike, sliding along the slick asphalt. Lighting cracked overhead as she hauled her bike up with one hand. A quick hop and she was off, not looking back for fear that Emily's concerned gaze might make her falter in her resolve to keep her secrets.

Paige pedaled through the rain, the downpour cutting her visibility to nothing. The rumble of the thunder drowned out even her sobs as she headed for home. She had no options. There was no safety. Whatever move she planned, 'A' seemed to be miles ahead of her. She couldn't protect herself, couldn't protect Emily. No choice but to take whatever 'A' decided to dish out and hope to do damage control.

The rumble of an engine behind her broke her from the thoughts that kept running circles in her mind. She looked over her shoulder, whipping back when the highbeams caught her straight in the eyes. A round of rapid blinking brought her vision back into focus though she found herself tempted to throw up a very specific finger at the driver. The car stayed behind her for nearly a block and while Paige was irritated with him, she had no interest in becoming a hood ornament. Rather than block him from passing for spite's sake, she pulled closer to the curb, giving him room enough to maneuver past the cars parked on the other side of the road.

The driver still refused to pass, his bumper no more than four feet behind Paige as she pedaled on. She waved him past, just about to pull onto the sidewalk when he revved his engine, peeling past Paige. As he drove by, he cut in closer, his rear view mirror nearly clipping her arm. Paige veered to the side, the water and her sudden imbalance working in tandem to throw her off her bike.

Paige let out a grunt as she hit the asphalt at pace, sliding along the watery road, her shoulder and hip taking the brunt of the impact. Her right leg was trapped beneath her bike and she felt the pedal scrape against skin as the road pulled her jeans up. She managed to cushion most of her head with her outstretched arm, cursing herself for tearing out of the house without her bike helmet. Her bike caught onto something in the road, coming to a sudden dead stop that threw Paige's upper body of out of alignment, forehead smacking against the too close curb.

When she was certain no further movement was coming, Paige lay on the cement, eyes looking up at the lighting storm overhead as her heart trip hammered in double time. She wedged her free leg under the frame of her bike, kicking it clear of her body. Paige rolled on to her stomach, dragging herself on to the sidewalk. Considering the rain and her luck, she would get run over if she stayed on the road. She cradled her right arm to her chest, her shoulder voicing its discontent at the abuse. It wasn't dislocated -she had done that before- but it was definitely not happy.

Her phone trilled in her pocket and she reached for it, hoping it was her Dad calling to check up on her. He could come pick her up, save her the trouble of wheeling the bent frame of her bike back to the house. She flipped open her phone, jaw tightening at the blocked number.

**Careful when you play near my pool. You might slip.-A**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** Still not mine.

**Author's Note:** This chapter will contain spoilers for Season 1, Episode 16, 'Je Suis Une Amis'. Mild spoilers for Season 3 Episode 11, 'Single Fright Female', regarding Paige and Alison's past.

My apologies for this chapter being a little late, real life doesn't seem to care about my posting schedule. Thank you for all the faves and follows!

Comments and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated! Enjoy!

**888**

Paige pushed herself into a sitting position with her good hand, wincing as her body protested the movement. As if to mock her further, the rain increased, the cool, fat droplets rinsing the blood from her leg.

'A's latest message disappeared as her much abused phone went into standby mode. She was tempted to crush her phone against the wet cement and simply be done with it. Only the knowledge that 'A' would surely find a way to communicate -phone or not- kept her from giving in. Considering 'A' had nearly mowed her down for talking to Emily, she didn't think she wanted to know what would happen if she attempted to break up with her texting stalker.

Getting to her feet, Paige wiped scraped hands off on her ruined jeans before collecting her bike. The frame was scraped, her front wheel bent beyond all repair, the rear wheel barely in better shape. All things considered, she was lucky she hadn't cracked her skull open in the fall.

Paige walked down the street, one hand on the handlebars, the other holding tightly to the collar of her shirt in an attempt to stabilize her shoulder. It was twenty minutes past her modified curfew when she limped up the drive, her father standing in the open doorway, arms crossed. His tense body relaxed when he took in her road rashed body, immediately abandoning the porch to help Paige to the garage.

"I'm okay," Paige said as he took control of the bike, one arm circling her waist to support her as she walked. A quick flick of the keys on the security pad to open the garage door and they stepped inside. Paige was thankful to simply be out of the rain, her clothes completely saturated. Her father took a moment to lift her bike onto its wall mount, sinewy strength allowing him to do it one handed.

His concern was evident in his eyes, and Paige leaned into him, feeling the tears start to come as he walked her into the house. The fear, the frustration, it was all too much and her carefully constructed walls started to fracture. Her father wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly to his chest. It was almost foreign to feel this from him, a concern for her rather than the image of her. It had been so long since she could simply cry in her father's arms and not feel ashamed for her weakness.

"Nick?" Her mother stood from the couch, rushing to Paige's side, her book lying forgotten on the coffee table.

"We're okay, just a little spill," Nick assured as Paige worked to quell her tears. She looked worse in the full light of the living room, her hip already bruising, her legs a mish mash of road rash. Nick helped her downstairs to her room, leaving Paige in her mother's care so she could strip down and assess the damage.

When Paige had dried off and gingerly changed into a pair of loose shorts and a tank top, her mother started her inspection. A few rounds of peroxide and an hour with tweezers had most of the debris cleaned from her skin. A couple of butterfly stitches on her forehead kept the thin line of a cut held together and Paige praised her luck again. Another foot toward the curb and she would have been lucky to walk away from the accident at all.

When the worst of the damage was tended to, her mother worked Paige way through some shoulder exercises. The muscles twinged but felt nowhere near as painful as when she had dislocated it. The familiar stretches had been part of the physiotherapy Paige had been given to heal her shoulder after her injury. She would be sore in the morning and anything resembling a competitive swim stroke was likely out of the question.

"I'll go let your father know you're all right and bring you down some tea. Just lie down and get some rest." Her mother kissed her forehead, helping Paige to lie down against the soft pillows on her bed. Paige shifted to get comfortable, she hadn't felt this beat up since one of her teammates had convinced her to try out for rugby.

The heavier steps coming downstairs let Paige know her father was on his way in and she pulled a blanket over her legs to conceal the worst of the damage. He wasn't going to be happy about her messing up a chance to anchor because she had wanted to go out for a bike ride.

A knock on the door preceded his entrance, worry evident in his features. "How ya feeling?" His southern accent -usually tightly reined- came out as he spoke. It was his tell when he was upset.

"I'm okay, just sore."

"What happened?" He asked, handing her a cup of the chamomile tea her mother loved to serve her.

"A car passed too close," Paige said, it was close enough to the truth that she didn't feel bad about the lie. "I slid out. It was stupid." Paige shook her head, it had been dumb. To think that she could stand up to 'A' and get control of her life back without a concrete plan. Going off half cocked had been about as effective as spitting into the wind.

It didn't stop Paige from wanting to wrest control of her life back but she had to stop flailing blindly into the darkness. Like Coach said, she couldn't hammer at every problem until it broke. The 'A' issue needed finesse, patience. Paige was playing a long term game and she had to start thinking with long term goals.

"How's the shoulder?"

"It's okay. Stiff but I think it'll be fine for the morning."

"Well, we'll see. We have to think about the rest of the season, it doesn't make sense to injure yourself more for a single meet. You might be better off if you let it rest. We'll test it out in the morning."

Paige nodded her agreement, surprised that her father had given in so easily.

"Get some rest."

After he left, Paige hunkered down under her covers, forcibly pushing out the image of the car plowing by her at warp speed. 'A' had shown the lengths they were willing to go to protect themselves. Not only were they operating miles ahead of Paige and her piss poor planning, but they were obviously willing to use violence to solve their problems. Paige was no stranger to an enemy without limits and she would deal with it the same way she had the last time.

Game on, bitch.

**888**

Paige woke when natural light hit her eyes, unconscious mind put off by the strange sensation. It had rarely occurred since moving to the basement, it meant she had slept well past her normal waking time. She pulled herself gingerly out of bed, her bruises letting themselves be known.

It was easier than she expected to climb the stairs, her battered leg painful but steady beneath her. Her place at the table was set, her mother and father's long since cleared away. She could hear her mother shuffling around in the kitchen and headed in to find her about to load the frying pan with bacon.

"Morning," Paige greeted, her voice gravelly and unfamiliar to her own ears.

"Morning, Sweetheart." Her mom left the stove, walking over for a quick hug and kiss to Paige's temple. "How you feeling?"

"I'm okay," Paige answered, eyes wandering over to the kitchen clock. Eight forty five. Wasn't there something she was meant to do this morning?

Oh. Sh...

"I'm late for practice! Coach is going to kill me." Never mind making anchor, missing the practice before a meet was a guaranteed no compete. Paige was halfway out of the kitchen when her mother called out.

"Paige, it's okay."

"Okay?! I'm supposed to have a swim off! Dad..."

"Agrees with me that you need a few days to recover."

"I... what?" Paige had figured last night's concern would disappear with the dawn. That her father would simply tell her to shake it off and suck it up.

"Your father and I discussed it last night and I spoke with Coach Fulton this morning. We all agreed that you need to rest, especially given your history of shoulder injury."

"But..."

"No 'buts'. Go get dressed, I'll drive you to school after breakfast."

Paige wandered back downstairs, still in somewhat of a fog as she got dressed. Hell, if she had known getting run off the road was a get out of jail free card, she might have antagonized 'A' earlier.

Dressing as comfortably as possible, Paige forewent her usual clothes for her warm up suit. It covered the worst of the damage while being loose enough not to aggravate tender skin. She shoved her books into her bag and went back upstairs, near giddy to see a plate of fried eggs and bacon at her place.

"Don't..."

"Tell, Dad. My lips are sealed," Paige promised, wolfing down the large meal in record time. By the time her mother returned with a large glass of orange juice, Paige had cleaned her plate, sopping up the last of the bacon grease and egg yolk with her toast.

It had been a long three months of oatmeal and yogurt.

"Did you actually taste any of that?" Her mother asked as she held out the glass of juice. Paige smiled sheepishly and polished off the juice quickly, wanting to make it to school in time to check the line up. Without her, Coach would be forced to shuffle the line up all the way down.

Paige felt guilty for that, knowing Coach Fulton organized each relay team to work as a set piece. By taking herself out of the equation, she had probably left the woman scrambling.

Her mother got Paige out the door and to Rosewood just as the second bell began to sound, signaling them in for first period.

"I'll come pick you up after the meet."

"It's okay, Mom. I'll walk."

"Are you sure?" It was a good three mile walk back to the house.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I can't swim, I need to get some fitness in, somehow. My leg feels okay."

"All right, call me if you change your mind."

"Thanks, Mom." Paige kissed her mother on the cheek and slid out of the car, bypassing the main entrance for the side door that would shortcut to Coach Fulton's office in the natatorium. Coach was behind her desk, scribbling on a notepad and Paige knocked quietly on her door.

"Paige." She was greeted with a genuine smile, Coach standing up to meet her. "How are you feeling?"

"Little banged up." Paige pointed to the butterfly stitches across her forehead. "Still have a bit of a headache but my shoulder should be good to go for next Friday's meet."

"I'll be glad to have you back but make sure you're ready. I don't want you to rush it. Your body is at a very important stage of development, if you injure something seriously now, it could have long term effects."

"Thanks for looking out for me, Coach."

"That's why I'm here."

"I'm sorry if I messed up the line up." Paige did truly feel bad about that. She took her responsibilities seriously and -even if it was beyond her control- she still felt guilty for leaving Coach Fulton in the lurch.

"You let me worry about that."

"Can... can I see the changes?"

"Sure." Coach motioned her over, taking one of the two guest seats and motioning Paige to sit down. She handed the clipboard over and Paige scanned the relay setups. Emily -of course- was placed at anchor. The starter slot, which would have been Paige's, had been filled by Vicky. Chloe and a freshman were sandwiched between the two. Paige checked over the rest of the roster, all of them solid line ups. Coach knew her team well and which teammates worked best with one another.

"You see something," Coach said, watching Paige as she searched the list for what seemed out of place.

"I remember this team from last year. They stack their third and fourth slot pretty heavily. They had a junior last year that was blowing the doors off everyone. Chloe doesn't have a great record in the third slot and she may end up giving them a lead that Emily won't be able to make up."

Coach seemed to consider this. "I remember their anchor. What do you suggest?"

"I'd switch Chloe to start. She can take on most of their openers, they really only have their one superstar. If Vicky goes third, she can keep pace enough to give Emily a chance."

"Not bad, McCullers." Coach Fulton smiled at her. "All right, what next?"

**888**

Paige finished off her last class, jogging lightly to the locker room to rid herself of her gear. She slipped into her bathing suit and put her track suit back on top. If things really started to slide, she would pester Coach Fulton to let her try a leg.

Feet clad in simple flip flops, Paige walked out to the pool, the crowd roaring as the first leg of the relay started. Paige found herself a seat a few rows down from Hannah and Hastings, doing her level best not to glare up at the girl out of simple habit. Her team was milling about the starting block, Emily in her long jacket with earbuds in.

She looked nervous, Paige couldn't blame her. No matter how many times Paige anchored, it never changed the weight of the responsibility. Winning was a team effort but Paige often felt responsibility was hers alone. For once, Paige could watch her teammates perform without the added pressure of knowing it would all come to rest on her shoulders.

The freshman in the second slot touched edge and Vicky dove in, keeping time with two of her competitors. The Philly competitor outpaced her easily, taking lead of the entire pack. Paige had been right. If Vicky was falling behind, Chloe would have been smoked right out of the gate. Paige pursed her lips, knowing that the Philly anchor was a solid performer but not as good as Emily. Vicky just needed to keep close enough for Emily to overtake her in the last leg.

Emily pulled out her earbuds, tucking them into her pocket before handing her jacket off to a teammate. Emily set herself on the block, goggles down, game face on.

Philly's third swimmer touched edge, Emily's direct competition launching herself into the pool. Vicky wasn't too far behind, hand touching edge as Emily threw herself forward, body slicing crisply through the water.

Paige nearly rocked herself out of her seat as she watched Emily cut the leads of the furthest swimmers to nothing. Her flip turn -a picture of perfection even from across the pool- had her ahead of everyone but the Philly anchor who was to her immediate right. The girl in the red suit had a powerful stroke, long body eating up the length of the pool at a breakneck speed.

Emily was faster.

Paige could see the frustration on the Philly swimmer who was giving her all, only to be passed at the midpoint. Emily pulled ahead by a hand, an arm and finally a full body length, touching the pool edge a good half second before her competitor.

The crowd nearly deafened Paige with their roar and she stood with them smiling widely at the stellar performance. Emily had deserved that win.

Emily pulled herself out of the pool, accepting the back slaps of her teammates with a shy smile. She looked across the pool, eyes finding Paige for a split second. Paige gave her a smile and a nod, she couldn't have done any better.

Paige sat on the bleachers as the crowd slowly filtered out, watching her teammates head for the locker room. Coach Fulton found her in the thinning crowd, giving Paige a thumbs up which she returned.

When everyone had finally cleared out, Paige stepped down from the bleachers, padding over to the edge of the pool. She rolled up her pant legs, sitting down to let her feet dangle in the cool water.

Paige looked over crystalline water taking it all in: the hum of the air vents overhead, the scent of chlorine, the tick of the giant clock across the pool. This place had once felt like home. Now, as familiar as it was, it had started to lose that feeling of safety. As much comfort as she once enjoyed from being here, it simply felt like a another chore. One more responsibility to add to the list.

And she didn't have to do it anymore. She could quit now, 'A' had given her that opportunity. She could play up her shoulder injury just long enough to sink her season. The team was in good hands. Emily was a better leader than Paige could hope to be. She wouldn't be leaving Coach Fulton or the Sharks in the lurch.

Paige could simply remove herself from the 'A' equation. Put so much distance between her and Emily that she would be of no use. It would hurt, no doubt. Giving up on swimming. Giving up on Emily. She'd had feelings for the girl since before being able to classify what those feelings were.

Footsteps to her left prompted Paige to look over and she caught sight of Emily, still in her long jacket, walking over to her.

"You okay? You didn't return any of my calls."

Paige didn't know how to explain her actions.

"I'm fine. It's nothing." Paige paused, that wasn't the truth. Maybe she couldn't tell Emily everything but the girl deserved better than a blatant lie. "I didn't know what to say. I was riding home on my bike and I wiped out."

"What were you thinking about?"

"How easy it would be if I wiped out," Paige admitted. What if she had simply thrown in the towel, let 'A' win? No more secrets, no more lies. No more anything. Simple. 'A' wasn't the first enemy who had driven her to such thoughts. As with anyone else who had challenged her, Paige's need to win, to beat whoever targeted her, hadn't let her give in. And it wouldn't now. Even if she quit the Sharks, she wouldn't quit searching for 'A'. Bitch was going down.

"I'm kinda done with swimming." Paige looked up at Emily who nodded in understanding.

"Yeah, I used to feel that way too."

"Obviously you got over it." Paige searched the other girl for answers, for any way to get back what she had lost in the continual dog fight to be the best. "How did you get over it?"

"I started swimming for myself. I quit trying to be better than everyone on the team."

Paige let out a breath, her shoulders relaxing. It all sounded so simple when Emily said it like that. She pushed herself to her feet, shoving her hands into her pockets as she walked by. "Sounds fun."

"When's the last time you swam for fun?"

Paige turned, eyes finding Emily's. She couldn't remember the last time she had been in the pool when it hadn't been about technique or timing or trouncing her teammates. Emily tugged her warm up jacket from her shoulders and pulled out her cap and goggles before tossing the coat to the bleachers.

"Let's go."

"...What?"

"You're suited up under there, aren't you?"

Paige raised an eyebrow, warmed by the idea that Emily already knew her so well. She stripped down, tossing her warmups near Emily's and held on to her cap and goggles.

Emily cannonballed into the pool with a yell, the splash catching Paige in the chest. Paige grinned at the unprofessional entry, holding tight to her goggles as she launched herself off the deck with a back flip. She surfaced with a smile, slicking her hair back to contain it under the cap. Paige swam beside her teammate as they performed lazy laps, Emily stopping every half or so to perform an underwater handstand or a midwater flip.

Paige mimicked her teammate, smiling at the girl under water as she held herself upside down, toes breaking the surface. Emily playfully challenged her for the better part of a dozen laps before picking up the pace, the friendly goading clear. Paige kept after her, keeping their strokes in tandem as they crossed the length of the pool.

This was what Paige remembered.

Those first few years, before it had been all about the competition. When it had been about pushing her friends to do better, testing her body to see what it was capable of. It wasn't about college scholarships or scouts or slots. It was just Paige and the water.

She sensed Emily stop at the edge of the pool but for the first time in forever, Paige didn't want to get out. This time it wasn't about the frantic pace she had set for herself, trying to sandwich everything in.

It was about the tingle of the cool water as it rushed over her body, the burn of her muscles, the warmth of the sun rays as it pierced the upper windows. As she completed her final lap, surfacing to find Emily smiling at her -tan skin aglow in warm light- that Paige realized this was peace. This was home.

"I don't think I've ever seen you have so much fun," Emily said as they bobbed at the edge of the pool.

"I haven't, not for a long time." Paige remembered small moments like this during freshman year, when she had first met Emily. They had been friendly teammates then, Paige gravitating toward Emily without knowing why. Her unconscious mind had known then what her brain wouldn't allow her to acknowledge for some time.

Paige hauled herself out, legs dangling in the water. Emily mirrored her, a respectable distance between them. "Thank you."

Emily nodded, suddenly quiet as they looked over the pool. Paige fumbled for something to say. Nothing in her repertoire of 'on call' conversation starters covered swimming with her longtime crush. Alone.

"I should go..." Emily started to push herself up and Paige shot out a hand, holding her wrist. She didn't missed the way Emily flinched and Paige cursed herself for having put that fear in her teammate.

"I'm sorry." Paige stared at her teammate, "for everything." Emily deserved better than a muttered, fearful apology in the middle of the night. "I know that doesn't make up for it and I can't really explain why I did what I did. I can only promise that it won't happen again."

Paige wouldn't let 'A' use her sexuality against her to hurt Emily. Whatever happened.

She had already done too much to hurt the other girl. Emily was officially her line in the sand.

Emily nodded silently, whether in agreement or acceptance, Paige wasn't sure. Emily pushed herself up and walked over to collect her gear. Paige let her feet kick, knowing that any response other than a well deserved shot to the mouth should be considered a win. She was lucky Emily was even talking to her.

"Do you want a ride home?" Emily asked, breaking Paige from thoughts that were quickly spiraling into darkness. Paige turned to look at Emily, amazed at the forgiveness she saw in dark eyes.

"No, I'm good, thanks. I'm going to walk."

"Isn't it like, three miles to your house?"

Paige shrugged, hauling her body up with only a small wince. Her leg was feeling better now that she had loosened it with some swimming.

"Get a grip, McCullers. If my parents found out I left an injured teammate stranded, I'd be lucky to drive again. C'mon."

Paige grabbed her gear, following her teammate to the changeroom. They toweled dry quickly, Paige making a point to turn away so her wandering eyes would have no choice but to behave themselves.

"Does it hurt?"

"Sorry?" Paige turned, mind blanking for a moment as her eyes registered Emily, clad only in her bra and bikini briefs. It wasn't anything she hadn't seen any number of times -they had been on the same team for years- but somehow with the friendly interaction, it suddenly felt different. Almost intimate. Paige shook it off. No matter Emily's capacity for forgiveness, it was probably best not to ogle her in the locker room.

"Your ribs and your hip. It looks pretty bad."

"Uh no, I mean, not really."

Emily raised an eyebrow, evidently unconvinced. Uncomfortable with the idea of Emily seeing so much of her, privy to the imperfections that made her feel gawky and undesirable, Paige tugged on her pants.

"When I was fourteen, my cousin and I were at this park in Philly," Paige started. "There was a pond and this man made waterfall." The memory was still crisp in her mind, replayed so many times over the years that every piece was vivid. Emily listened, her questioning glance indicative that she failed to see where Paige was going.

"We climbed to the top of the waterfall, it wasn't big, maybe ten feet. Tyler said he wanted to jump and he dared me to go with him."

Emily's eyes widened.

"Yeah, I know." Paige let out a laugh at the stupidity of it all. "He said he had done it before. And he dared me," Paige reiterated, as though it should explain everything. "Tyler counted to three, made a whole big deal out of it. I jumped, he didn't."

"Oh, god." Emily seemed on the verge of either horror or hysterics, depending on how the story turned out.

"Yeah. I guess he didn't think I had the guts for it but..."

"You can't lose," Emily deadpanned, smirk firmly in place.

"See, you get that!" Paige exclaimed. "For some reason, he didn't. Anyway, I dislocated my shoulder, broke a couple of ribs. I was lucky considering how shallow that stupid pond was. Point of it is, after that..." Paige motioned to her latest bruises. "There isn't much that compares."

Paige tugged on her tank top.

"Ouch. What happened to your cousin?"

"Grounding and probably the worst chewing out I'd ever heard. He was my servant for the rest of the summer." Paige laughed at the memory, the summer she had spent with her rough housing cousin had been on of the best. "You know what the worst part was? It was the official end of my superhero dreams."

"What?" Emily's eyes twinkled, evidently amused.

"I figured if I had any superpowers they would have kicked in to save me. Sadly, the world will forever be denied SuperPaige."

Emily laughed, shifting her bag onto her shoulders. "I don't know, McCullers. You might be part fish."

"Yes, I'm secretly Aquagirl," Paige rebutted, holding the door open for her teammate. The walk to the car was pleasant, small talk filling the space between the natatorium and Emily's Toyota. Paige's brain did its best to make an ass of her, her usual inability to be anything resembling suave kicking in.

Despite the occasional blip of awkwardness, being with Emily -not having to hold up every wall- was as relaxing as it was tense. The girl had a quiet charm about her that set Paige at ease, so long as she put the idea that it was Emily freaking Fields out of her mind. It was a completely odd sensation that Paige couldn't help but enjoy.

Emily's car beeped as the girl unlocked it and they quickly slid into their seats. It was quick work to drive to Paige's house, her parents cars both in the driveway. Paige pushed open the door, bummed that their time together was over. She held no illusions, Emily had been being kind to her but it didn't change their situation. Whatever camaraderie they were sharing was liable to be a one time shot.

"Thanks for the ride, Emily."

"No problem."

"I'll see you at practice on Monday." Paige stepped out of the car, shouldering her backpack as she closed the door.

"Paige?"

Paige leaned over to look through the open window. "Yeah?"

"If you start thinking again... about wiping out or whatever... call me."

"...Thanks. I... I will." Paige started to walk away, turning back for a moment when she realized she had neglected the most important part of their conversation. "Good job out there today, Fields."

Emily gave her a lopsided smile. "Just keeping you on your toes McCullers."

Paige waved at her teammate, smiling to herself as she bounded up the porch stairs. She felt...light. There had been no criticisms, no pressure, no competition. No 'A'. Hell, Paige had even caught a lucky break that let her spend time with the girl who made her feel as though there was hope for her in the world.

It had been so long that Paige had nearly forgotten what it felt like.

Today had been a good day.

_tbc..._

***R & R :)**


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Nope, not mine.

Author's Note: Sorry everyone, the long weekend threw off my posting schedule. Since we no longer have anything to occupy our Tuesday nights, I'm going to try and post twice weekly, rather than just once. We'll see how it goes. My goal is to catch up to the show by the time Season 3B starts. This chapter contains spoilers for Season 1, Episode 17, 'The New Normal'.

A big thank you to all those who reviewed, faved or followed. In the fanfiction kingdom, reviews make the world go round. As always, comments and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated!

Enjoy!

**888**

Still flying high over the unexpected events of the afternoon, Paige pushed open the door to the house. The smell of Thai food wafted to her from across the living room, her mother had left out a plate of pad thai from the takeout place. Paige stopped in front of her Dad, trying to tone down the wattage of her smile. She had -after all- not swam in a winning meet against one of their toughest opponents. Slight regret and frustration was probably the better emotion to showcase than barely restrained glee.

Nick McCullers was at his seat on the couch and he put the paper down to look at her. "How'd it go today?"

"Good, we won."

He nodded. She hadn't participated so that was all the information he was likely going to ask for. "How's the shoulder feel?"

"It feels okays. I swam Emily's cool down laps with her and it didn't nag me too much." Lie. It hadn't bothered her at all. But she still needed to be able to hedge her bets, just in case. If her shoulder remained a point of concern, she could still give herself a reasonable out later on.

"Feel up to meeting with Keith tomorrow?"

She didn't feel up to it -had no interest in dealing with the somewhat lackluster coach- but she also didn't need a fight with her Dad to kill the buzz of a good day. She nodded reluctantly and turned to head for the dining room.

"Good, you two can work on getting you back to where you're supposed to be."

Paige took the finality of his tone as a dismissal, her mother squeezing her hand as she walked past to get her supper. No matter what had changed outside the house, it was clear that within its walls, it was back to business as usual.

**888**

Paige slid into the water early Monday morning, the cool water of the pool a soothing balm on aching muscles. It was nice to finally have solitude in the water after two days of lessons with Keith. He was a nice enough guy but if Paige wanted someone to constantly pick at her technique, she would have just let her father watch her swim. Keith's coaching style was more of criticism than correction, nagging at her about what she did wrong until she trial and erred her way to the style he wanted.

It made for an exhausting lesson.

Eight hours worth of sessions over the weekend, sandwiched between homework, church and her father's lectures, had sapped Paige's emotional reserves. It was a comfort to be back in 'her' pool, swimming lazy laps, the only noise besides that of the water was the ventilation system overhead. Paige had crossed paths with Coach Fulton in the hall, the woman on her way to the staff room to fill what could only be considered a tureen of coffee.

Paige flipped on her back, kicking lightly to keep herself afloat, eyes closed against the bright overhead lights. The echoed sound of a body hitting the water was nearly instantaneous with the feel of firm hands grabbing her shoulders and pressing her below the water.

A moment of blind panic overtook her, an instant of thinking 'A' had finally made good on their threats. Paige flailed in the water, instinct prodding her to fight back. The hands immediately released and Paige surfaced with an undignified splutter, fear and anger vying for dominance. Her eyes met Emily's, the other girl bearing a smirk as she tread water calmly.

It had been a joke.

"Now we're even, McCullers."

Paige's anger deflated as she took in the satisfied countenance of her teammate. Paige couldn't refute that she'd had it coming, Emily's light laugh contagious as she joined in. She wasn't sure whether she was laughing about Emily getting her 'revenge' or that she was just glad that 'A' hadn't past tensed her in the pool.

"C'mon, race you." Emily swam to the shallowest lane, motioning for Paige to follow. Coach Fulton walked by just as they had started to run a race, Paige bounding high in the water while Emily powered through in exaggerated lunges.

"Don't you two tire yourself out before practice," Coach said as she passed, not even looking up from her newspaper as she walked. Fifteen minutes later, the rest of the team began to filter into the natatorium and practice began in earnest.

Practice passed without incident, Paige and Emily heading for their lockers together afterward. Paige caught sight of Hastings just as the other girl found her, her placid expression immediately hardening.

"Uh, oh, Spencer looks pissed."Emily said, her own gaze finding that of her friend.

"You mean that's not her usual expression?" Paige asked, earning an arched eyebrow from her teammate. "What? I'm being serious."

Emily shook her head, a small smile evident but she didn't argue the point. "I'll see you in class." With that, Emily headed for Spencer, Aria and Hannah joining them shortly afterward. Paige turned her attention to her own locker, searching for her chemistry text. She felt someone come up beside her and turned to find Pru.

"Hey, how you feeling?" Pru greeted.

"I'm good." Paige said, somewhat surprised to find she meant it. "Great, actually."

Pru's own stare showed she didn't seem to believe what Paige was saying. "I wanted to call this weekend but I was worried you'd be super pissed about not swimming in the meet."

Paige gave the comment the consideration it was due, Pru knew her well. Given any other person, any other situation, Paige would have been thinking murder. But Emily had deserved the slot and the solid win proved it. "I was a little angry but I'm over it."

"Really?" The incredulity in Pru's tone wasn't missed as Paige closed her locker and they walked to class.

"Yep. We still have months of meets ahead and it didn't kill me not to race this one. I think... I think maybe I've been pushing myself too hard."

Pru reached up, touching Paige's forehead with the back of her hand.

"What are you doing?"

"I"m checking for fever. Are you dizzy, how many fingers am I holding up?"

Paige batted the hands away with a laugh. "Quit it."

"Are you an alien?" Pru let out a dramatic gasp. "Are you a 'Pod Paige'?"

Rolling her eyes, Paige walked past her friend and into the classroom. She spared a shy smile and wave for Emily, face immediately fixing in a frown when she caught Spencer's eyes. One of these days, they were just going to have to come out swinging and get their little grudge match over with. It was becoming tedious.

Sitting down, Paige prepared herself to be bored by the monotone lecture, attention never far from the charming brunette two rows up.

**888**

The early part of the week passed in much the same fashion. Emily would meet Paige before practice and they would horse around, daring the other to try some new trick they had devised. Paige had a feeling Emily had started coming early to keep an eye on her, to make sure she didn't let herself slip into old habits. Despite all Paige's faults, Emily had taken it upon herself to help her. It appeared there was no end to the girl's ability to forgive. Paige knew there wasn't likely a way to thank her for it but she was determined to try.

It was Wednesday afternoon, after practice, that Paige was presented with her first opportunity. Coach Fulton called Paige and Emily to her office and the pair sat wrapped in their warm ups, eyes finding each other, question clear.

"I don't usually make a habit of explaining my decisions but I wanted to make sure the... cohesion I'm starting to see doesn't get set back."

"Coach?"

Paige braced herself, having a feeling she knew what was coming. She locked eyes with the coach, hoping her slight nod showed the woman she wasn't going to freak out.

"I'm making Emily the anchor for this Friday's meet."

Paige pursed her lips, tamping down sharply on her instinctive urge to protest. She took a moment before she spoke, logical mind fighting like hell to take control over a bruised ego. "I think that's a good idea."

Two disbelieving stares focused on her, both pairs of eyes nearly comically wide. Paige did her best not to laugh at the reaction her calm facade generated. "Our times are still tied but my shoulder isn't a hundred percent. I can't trust that my injury won't slow me down during the meet and you can't trust that I won't push myself harder than I should just to win."

"That about sums it up, yes."

Paige knew Coach's responsibility was to her safety and health first, her pride a distant second. "I'm good. I mean, you're going down next week, Fields..." This Paige said as she looked at her teammate. "So I might as well let you have your minute in the sun."

Emily took the joke as Paige meant it, giving her a good natured shove in the arm. "Keep dreaming, McCullers."

They left the Coach's office together shortly after, Paige content to simply be in Emily's presence as they changed to head home.

"Thanks, Paige."

"For what? Not being a grade 'A' ass?" Paige asked with a grin as she folded her towel into her backpack. "You're welcome."

Emily frowned at the brush off. "I'm being serious."

"Emily, you have nothing to thank me for, you earned it." Paige threw her backpack over her shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Hey, you forgetting something?"

Paige turned, flicking her eyes to ceiling in annoyance at the bike helmet Emily held up.

"C'mon, McCullers, put it on. Unless you're looking to get injured again so I can spare you the embarrassment of kicking your butt."

Paige took the helmet. "You wish." Giving a final wave to her teammate, Paige headed out to her bike, the fresh tires gleaming in the sunshine. She hung her bike helmet on the handlebars and unlocked the bike from the stand. Settled atop her trusty steed, Paige rode out of the parking lot, jumping a little at the car horn that honked beside her.

She turned to find Emily leaning over in the drivers' seat, pointing at her head. Paige grudgingly pulled her helmet off the handlebars, tugging it on to her head. A quick thumbs up and Emily was turning out of the parking lot, Paige following behind on her bike.

She arrived home easily, parking her bike in the garage before heading inside. Her mom was just about to plate dinner, the table full of steaming dishes. Paige sat down, pulling her hair into a loose ponytail to keep it out of her way as she ate. Her father was at his place, reading the newspaper as they waited for supper. He neatly folded the paper as Paige's mother put down the last plate of food, tucking it on the table behind him.

"How was your day, Sweetheart?" Her mother asked as she sat down.

Paige helped herself to vegetables as she considered how to answer. Maybe if she padded her day with filler, her dad wouldn't ask about...

"Did your coach put up the relay roster?" Nick asked before Paige had even tried to answer her mother. Paige thought she caught a sharp look that her mother directed at her husband but nothing was said.

"She did," Paige answered, wishing she had at least gotten a moment to put some food in her stomach. She had a feeling this conversation was going to end with her being too stressed out to eat.

"And," her father prompted. His gaze told her he already knew her answer was going to be something he didn't like. Paige was never obtuse when she had good news to report.

"I'm on the starting line up."

"But not anchoring." It was a statement, a flat one at that. Nick looked from Paige to her mother and back again, mouth pursed in an unhappy line. "I thought we agreed you needed to establish yourself as the top dog on that team, Paige. Why did you spend all that time with Keith if you weren't going to learn anything?"

"I did learn. Emily and I tied again. Coach wants to give it another week to make sure my shoulder is up to it and Emily did really well last week."

"That's all?" He seemed suspicious of the answer, evidently sensing there was more to the story.

"That's all."

"I thought your shoulder was feeling better."

It was a bait, Paige knew it. Her father was fishing for something, she just couldn't tell what.

"It is feeling better, Coach just…"

"Did you try to talk to her about your shoulder? Explain that you feel up to the task? Or did you just accept that you're being pushed out of position by a young lady that hasn't shown half the dedication to the team as you have."

"That's not what it's like," Paige argued, refusing to throw either Coach Fulton or Emily under the bus.

"Then tell me what's it like. Are you just not trying? Is that what's going on? You're letting this girl take your position away from you?"

"Nick..." Her mother broke in.

"No. I'd like to know what she thinks is happening here because in the last two weeks, she's gone from being the prize athlete to being just another girl on that team."

In an ideal world, Paige could tell her father the truth. That she _had _inadvertentlysabotaged herself, first in an attempt to save her secret and then in trying to save Emily. That there was someone above her, pulling her strings to make her dance. But it had been a long time since he had been the person she asked to solve her problems. Dependence was weakness and Paige had learned not to showcase that if she could help it. 'A' was her problem and she would deal with it on her own terms.

Paige briefly wished she had gone through with her plan to quit the team and avoid all this drama. But just as she had refused to cowtow to Ali, her will wouldn't allow her to give into her father. She wouldn't walk away from swimming because she had let him turn something she loved into a noose around her neck. She was swimming for herself now.

"I just…I tied, Dad. I didn't get the anchor slot, that's all there is. I'll try again next week." Paige put her fork down, her ravenous appetite from a rigorous work out completely shot to hell. "May I be excused?"

Her father seemed ready to refuse the request, gearing up for another round of interrogation when her mother broke in. "That's fine, Paige. Go do your homework."

She scampered away without looking at her father, the small act of rebellion about the limit of what she was willing to test this early on. She set to work on her homework, knowing that if she failed in one arena, it was wise to make up for it somewhere else.

Paige was nearly through her math homework when her mother tapped on her door, a plate of supper steaming as she held it.

"You didn't eat and the last thing you need is to lose any weight," her mother led with, placing the plate on Paige's desk. Paige looked at her mother, searching for understanding from the one place she thought she might get it. "He loves you, Paige. Very much. He just wants what's best for you. He pushes too hard sometimes but it comes from a place of love."

"It's just… hard. I'm trying, Mom. I am."

"I know, baby. I know. Your father's had something stuck in his craw since Emily came back on the team. You know how he is about commitment and dedication."

"She is dedicated," Paige argued. "She just needed a minute. She's even been helping me in the pool. She's not a bad person, Mom."

"I didn't say she was," her mother chided. "But your father bases his opinions on appearances and from the outside, it doesn't look as though this girl has contributed as much as you have. He's questioning why Emily has been placed ahead of you. He's not questioning you, Paige."

"Just questioning Coach Fulton." The snarky retort was out before Paige had registered she had spoken. Her mother had the grace to ignore it, simply squeezing her shoulder as she left the room.

Paige spent the rest of her evening knee deep in homework. She had more than caught up but with Pru on a date, she was effectively isolated with only her textbooks and TV as company. She had no desire to make nice with her father which essentially kept her off the entire ground level of the house.

When she was too bored to bother with either homework or the unfortunate offerings of reality TV, Paige got ready for bed. Her cellphone chirped as she slid under the covers and Paige unintentionally cringed at the sound. It had been near a week since she had heard from 'A' and tonight, of all nights, was not the time to deal with their shit. She flipped open the phone, fully prepared to delete the message when she recognized Emily's number.

**-Hey, you made it home okay? No more concussions?-Emily**

Paige smiled at the unexpected concern, wondering what it could have been like if she had tried this from the start, being nice, being a teammate. Would she and Emily be somewhere different? Somewhere closer? If she had Emily, would it have changed things? Would Paige be braver? Some part of her felt she would be. That she could have drawn strength from Emily when her own was failing.

Paige had tried in the beginning, immediately drawn to Emily's good natured smile and easy empathy. But with Ali's antics and her father's demands, it just hadn't worked. She had fought in the beginning but like any animal caught in a snare, she had tired herself out. She had given up. Even with Ali gone, she had never gotten the courage to step toward the one person she knew she wanted. Had known she wanted on some level or another for over two years. Maybe it was time to be brave.

**-It was never a concussion, my head is too hard for that. But yes, I got home fine. :P -Paige**

Paige reread the message carefully. Twice. A third run through to be sure she sounded appropriately friendly and nonchalant, not like lonely nerd dying for conversation. A quick send and the message was off.

**-Good to know. :) See you in the AM?-Emily**

**-See you then.-Paige**

She sent the message, pursing her lips as her fingers hovered over the small keyboard. To push or not to push?

"C'mon, McCullers. Well behaved women rarely make history."

**-I pass by The Brew on my way in. Coffee tomorrow?-Paige**

Paige sat on her bed staring at her phone, seemingly endless minutes passing as she waited for a reply. What did it mean if Emily said no? Was she not that early of a riser? Was she only hanging out with Paige to make sure she didn't Houdini from the team? Maybe, Emily didn't like coffee. No, that was ridiculous, who the hell didn't like coffee? Coffee was life. Caffeine was the energy force that kept the gears of the world moving...

"I'm insane. It's official, I'm crazy." Paige put the phone down -though she didn't take her eyes off it- bound and determined to operate the cellular towers by sheer force of will if nothing else.

**-Sure! My mom made muffins. You bring the caffeine, I'll bring the carbs.-Emily**

** -Deal. See you tomorrow. - Paige**

** -Night. -Emily**

Paige closed her phone, near giddy as she lay in bed. Coffee. With Emily! The idea of it made her kick her heels into the bed in her excitement. Sure, it was coffee. Not c_offee_. But it was a start. Maybe she hadn't burned her bridges, not completely.

The pleasant thought shut out all the frustrations with her father and lulled her to sleep, a content smile on her face.

**888**

Paige's alarm blared half an hour before her usual wake up time, red lights flashing an unforgiving early hour. Despite being shortchanged her sleep, Paige rolled out of bed with nary a complaint. She threw her books in her bag, her swimsuit pulled on with her warmups over top. She was at the table before her parents had even come down, bowl of oatmeal near finished by the time the upstairs light turned on.

"You're up early," her mother greeted, kissing her on top of the head as Paige shoveled the last of her oatmeal into her mouth. "Where's the fire?"

"Meeting a teammate for some extra work," Paige answered, mouth still half full of oats as she slurped down her orange juice. Her bag was slung before she had fully swallowed, kissing her mom on the cheek as she sped out the inner garage door, leaving her slightly stunned mother in her wake.

Paige was headed down the block twenty minutes earlier than normal, helmet firmly in place as she headed for The Brew. The shop had barely opened, the bleary eyed barista filling her order without much fanfare. She balanced the tray precariously on her handlebars, one hand reserved for steering as she pedaled to school.

She had just locked her bike to the rack when Emily pulled up, bright headlights illuminating the bike stand. Emily was clad in the same Rosewood warm-ups, slightly disheveled hair pulled back in a loose ponytail as she slid out of the car. She looked ridiculously good for six o'clock in the morning.

Paige took a breath. Two. In. Out. Focus. Don't be clingy. Don't be aloof. Crap, too much to think about. Okay, just don't be crazy. Try that. That'll work. Be semi sane and coherent and this might work. Emily smiled at her, shyly holding up a brown bag full of what Paige assumed were muffins.

It was the smile that got her. Paige had faced down countless opponents: swimmers, hockey players, Ali, all without knuckling under. One look from Emily and every thought deserted her, reducing Paige to a level of intelligence that was only just beyond that of an amoeba.

"Morning."

"Uh...morning?" Paige reasoned she had gotten the response right as Emily smiled again, waiting expectantly. "Oh, uh, coffee." Paige reached back, holding up the tray as proof that she was capable of something beyond staring stupidly. She pushed herself out of her crouch, following behind Emily as the girl led her to the steps.

They were earlier than even the caretakers, Emily's car the only one in the lot. They sat at the top most step, each settling in to lean against the stone railing, legs stretched across the stairs. Paige traded one of the coffees for a muffin, content to simply sit as the rest of Rosewood woke up and stretched its legs. The sky was still dark, the promise of dawn just a hint on the horizon as a few birds chirped cheerily.

"This muffin is delicious." Paige sighed, the taste of blueberries, butter and white flour almost sinful.

"You keep a pretty strict diet, don't you?" Emily asked as she sipped at her coffee, lean hands wrapped tightly around the warm cup. The mornings had begun to have a bite to them, fall was definitely here.

"I do during my seasons, yeah."

"Field hockey, swimming... soccer?"

"I played JV soccer but I don't have the skill to make a go of it at college level. I think I'm going to give it up this season."

"Even if you did that, when would your off season be?"

"Uh," Paige checked her mental calendar. "I think I have a day or two somewhere in midsummer."

Emily laughed, kicking Paige's sneaker. "Funny, such a comedian."

"Just wait, the really good stuff comes out once this kicks in." Paige held up her coffee. "What about you? No other sports?"

"We're not all Hastings and McCullers. I'm a one sport wonder," Emily said, pulling a third muffin out of the bag. "Split?"

"I shouldn't." Paige could see Emily's eye roll, even in the darkness. The other girl broke off an uneven half, handing the lion's share to Paige. "I keep eating like this and I'm going to be swimming in two lanes."

The comment earned Paige a momentary wide eyed look before Emily recovered and turned her attention to the muffin. Paige was about to question the odd reaction when Emily spoke. "So, what are our chances against Scranton? I don't remember much about them from last year."

Paige waived off Emily's concern. "I know their whole senior line-up. Between us, we can smoke anybody they put up. So long as Vicky and Chloe pull their weight, we'll take them down."

"Sounds good to me."

The sound of the door being unlocked pulled their attention away from each other and the looked up to find Bert, the janitor, opening the main doors.

"Ready to get your butt kicked?"

"Bring it on, Fields."

**888**

Five hours later, Paige waited in the cafeteria line to pay for her meal. Pru was somewhere by their usual table, attention occupied by her boyfriend. She handed her money over for the low sodium vegetable soup and garden salad, doing her best not to turn up her nose at the paltry offering. She had a can of tuna in her bag to give herself some protein but she knew she'd be hungry by day's end. She headed for her table, stopping dead when she heard her father's voice.

"I'm looking for Coach Fulton."

Paige searched for her father, locking on to him towering over a seated Mr. Fitz and Mrs. Montgomery.

"Is the coach expecting you?" Mr. Fitz asked, putting down his coffee mug as he spoke.

"The coach is avoiding me that's what the coach is doing."

Mr. Fitz stood up and Paige instinctively flinched in sympathy for him. Her father admired people who stood up for themselves but not when that strength was directed at him. This was going to get messy.

"Are you a parent?

"Yes, I'm a parent, Nick McCullers."

Paige looked away as he said his name, hoping the floor would just go ahead and swallow her. Her eyes found Emily, the girl a picture of confusion and concern. Wonderful, now her crush got to watch her father rip the hell out of the school's favourite teacher. "My daughter is Paige McCullers."

"I have your daughter in my English comp class. I'm Ezra Fitz." Mr. Fitz offered his hand, her father barely glancing at it.

"The coach."

He wasn't going to back down. Even in front of all these people. Paige closed her eyes, there was no way to get out of this gracefully.

"Tell you what, why don't we head down to the principal's office and see if we can't find the coach?"

Paige had to admire Mr. Fitz, he wasn't showing any signs of wilting under father's glare.

"I've seen the principal and all I've got is a lot of politically correct double talk about the agenda in this place that's penalizing my daughter. "

Paige's eyes widened. She knew exactly what agenda he was talking about and Emily was sitting right there, about to get an earful of it.

Fuck.

"You're taking opportunities away from her and giving them to somebody who doesn't deserve them."

"Everybody gets a fair chance here, Mr. McCullers, we go out of our way to make sure that's how it works."

"My girl is the best swimmer on that team, you can't give it to somebody just because..."

Oh please, Dad, no. Mr. Fitz broke in, shutting down the argument before her father got it out. Paige wasn't sure she had ever been so grateful to anyone.

"You're in a cafeteria, Mr. McCullers, full of kids trying to have lunch. I don't think that's the audience you want, is it?" Mr. Fitz motioned for them to leave, Paige stunned to see her father quietly acquiesce.

Paige looked over at Emily, the hurt unmistakeable in dark eyes. Unable to have that directed at her, Paige dropped her tray in the bucket and hauled ass out of the cafeteria, head low. She walked into the hallway, leaning against the lockers as she massaged her temples. She took a few deep breaths to process her frustration, trying to figure out a way to fix this.

First things first, she had to get to Emily. Paige couldn't have her thinking she had been the one to goad her father into action. She saw Emily round the corner from the cafeteria and head for her locker, the other girls nowhere to be seen. Perfect. If she tried this with Hastings around, the ensuing brawl wouldn't leave much of either of them intact. Emily closed her locker, Paige jumping in with her explanation before the girl could give her the brush off.

"Listen, I didn't know my dad was coming. He wanted to know how somebody could beat me. He wanted to know if I slacked off, but I didn't. You know I didn't. I told him we tied but you got the slot." Everything came out in a rush, she wasn't even sure the words were coherent as she spoke.

"Because I'm gay."

"No, I didn't say anything. He must have asked around but I didn't tell him, I swear."

"I have to go to class."

Paige could see it in Emily's eyes, the disbelief mixed with betrayal. She couldn't blame her, a week of playing nice couldn't totally erase the mistrust between them. Emily walked away, leaving Paige to stare after her with no idea how to fix what had been broken.

Her phone beeped and she pulled it out of her pocket. Pru was probably texting to check up on her. Paige read the message, calmly walking across the hall to the deserted locker room. She let loose her every frustration as she heaved the phone at the wall, the fragile device shattering on impact, its message still emblazoned in her mind.

**Loose lips sink ships. Told you not to play in my pool.-A **


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything. Well, I do, but nothing resembling the rights to PLL in either of its forms.

**Author's Note: **Nothing to report today, it's Wednesday, not much happens on Wednesdays. This chapter contains spoilers for Season 1, Episode 17, 'The New Normal'.

A big thank you to all those who reviewed, faved or followed. As always, comments and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated!

Enjoy!

**888**

Paige sat in class, stewing over the entire conversation. Hell, the whole damn day. How had a morning that started out so well turned into such crap in a matter of hours? She was grateful when the final bell rang, ready to haul ass out of class. There was no evening practice and as Emily brushed past her, eyes pointedly avoiding Paige, she realized she wouldn't have the opportunity to make her case any further.

The cold brush off stung, more than Paige cared to admit and she had to bite back tears as she walked to her locker to collect her things.

"Paige, can I speak with you for a moment?"

She closed her locker, coming face to face with Coach Fulton. Something in her distraught gaze must have spoken volumes, the coach silently leading Paige to an empty classroom.

"I swear I didn't tell, Coach." Paige was nearly shaking, guided to a seat by Coach Fulton. "I would never do that to you. Or to Emily."

"Paige..."

She looked up, eyes meeting those of one of the people she trusted most. "I didn't tell."

"I believe you." The calm, clear gaze conveyed nothing but trust and Paige felt some of the tension abandon her body. "I didn't get a chance to speak with Emily yet but are you okay?"

"Emily's going to hate me." Paige's piteous tone grated against her own ears but she couldn't help it. After everything she had done, it had been her father who finally alienated Emily to the breaking point.

"She's not going to hate you. We're going to get this all figured out. I promise."

The words of reassurance helped somewhat and Paige nodded though she didn't truly believe it. "I... I know it's not true, Coach. What my dad said, I really do understand why you made Emily the anchor."

"Thank you, Paige. I appreciate that. This will all blow over. You worry about tomorrow's meet, I'll handle the rest."

Paige stood, accepting the tissue Coach Fulton offered to wipe at her eyes.

"I want you to go home, get some rest for tomorrow. In the pool bright and early, okay?"

"Okay."

Coach Fulton led her from the classroom, sending Paige off to the door while she headed to her office. Paige walked out to her bike, unlocking it from the rack. She saw Emily with the rest of the foursome at the end of the parking lot, the group talking in a tight circle. Spencer stood closest, her hand on Emily's shoulder as she spoke. Paige felt a pang of jealousy flare up though she wasn't sure of its source.

Was Paige jealous that Spencer was so close to Emily while she had been pushed away? Most definitely. But it was more than that. She was jealous of Emily's support system. The girl had been targeted and everyone had rallied around her, teachers, friends, teammates. All had formed an impenetrable barrier between Emily and whoever would hurt her.

In contrast, Pru hadn't even called to see if Paige was all right after her father's stunt.

Shaking her head, Paige got on her bike and pedaled for home, not looking at the others as she passed. She didn't need another Hastings Ten Yard Stare to complete her already shitty afternoon. At this point, even the peacekeeping Aria probably wanted a shot at Paige.

What irritated her most was that she had finally decided to do the right thing, whatever the cost. Paige had finally accepted that her actions could have far reaching consequences and taken action anyway to try to rectify her mistakes. After all that, it had been her father who blew the last battleship out of the water.

Paige loved her father. He was a good man. He worked for charities, he volunteered for the church, he generally went out of his way to care for those in need. But when he let his ignorance, his intolerance, overtake his good sense, Paige just wanted to slap him. She supposed the insult was two fold.

It wasn't just that her father thought so poorly of Emily and Coach Fulton, both of whom had shown more compassion for Paige than he had. It was that everything he said against Emily -against who she was- was exactly what he would turn on Paige when he found out. What he did to Emily was just a mild preview of what Paige could expect when 'A' finally let her secret loose.

And they would. Paige had accepted that. She just needed to buy herself enough time to create a safety net for when things went nuclear. Paige's musings distracted her to the point that she barely realized she had arrived home, bike rolling easily up the familiar driveway. She parked in the garage as was custom and walked inside, mentally bracing herself for whatever was coming. Her father's car had been in the driveway but not her mother's.

There was no buffer.

No calming force for Nick McCullers nor protective shield for Paige. She went in knowing war was at hand and stepped through, prepared to do battle. Her father was at the table, office papers spread across the surface, reading glasses in place as he perused the content.

"Your mother will be home late," he greeted without looking up. "We'll order in tonight."

Paige pursed her lips, wondering how he could be so dismissive when he had sunk her entire high school social career. It was obvious he didn't care about that, he only cared that she was making progress toward his end goal. Distractions like friends and peers were nothing more than bumps on the road.

She could pander to him, ignore what he had done, go on with business as usual to keep the peace. Paige's memory flitted to Emily, the hurt look in the other girl's eyes. The implication of betrayal that hung heavy in their last conversation. Paige couldn't take that look away but she could be damn sure that her father didn't get another crack at Emily.

Fuck peace.

"Why would you do that?" Paige asked, dropping her bag on the floor. "How could you do that in front of the whole school?"

"First of all, young lady, you'll mind your tone. I don't know how Prudence speaks with her parents, but you were raised properly." He countered. "Second, I had no intention of handling a private issue in public. Your Coach..."

"Didn't do anything wrong! I told you that!" Paige raised her voice despite the warning. "She picked Emily because she was the better choice, not because of some secret gay agenda."

"I know you don't see it that way. You're too young to realize that simple things, even high school sports, can have political agendas behind them. I won't let you be the example these people make."

"No, Dad. I know what the Coach is doing, you just can't accept that someone is better than me. You're railroading Emily because she beat me and the only thing you can use against her is the fact that she's gay."

"Tell me one thing you did that would make Coach Fulton choose an uncommitted player over someone who puts their entire heart into the team."

"I acted like you!" Paige yelled, her mouth running away before her brain could catch it. Paige knew she had made a mistake the moment the words left her but she couldn't call them back.

"What does that mean?"

Paige remained silent, knowing she had tipped her hand and not sure how to turn the conversation back in her favour.

"Paige, what does that mean."

"I acted like you," Paige reiterated finally, unwilling to back down now that she had put the words out there. "When Emily came back, I went out of my way to make her feel bad about leaving the team and about who she was. I was wrong. She's a good person, Dad. Her being gay, it doesn't affect that."

"Coach Fulton knows about this?"

Paige nodded. "Yes, she sat Emily and I down about it last week."

"So, you're being punished for standing up for your values."

Paige hung her head. This was exactly what she hadn't wanted, him twisting her mistakes into ammunition against Emily. She had no way to refute it except to defy him directly. It would be no small defiance either but she knew there was no other way. She was determined to take a page from Emily's book and do the right thing, the brave thing. Whatever the cost. She nodded to herself, raising her chin to look him directly in the eye.

"They're your values, Dad. Not mine."

He looked as if he wanted to haul off and slap her. Save for some spankings in her childhood, he had never gotten physical with her. To his credit, he stayed his hand though his jaw clenched to the point Paige feared he might chip a tooth. Guilt and shame were his weapons of choice in her teen years and thus far they had been effective enough to keep her in line.

Paige was tired of being ashamed.

"This was why I didn't want you in public school, this liberal nonsense is poisoning your mind."

"Tolerance isn't poison, Dad," Paige argued. "I understand where you're coming from but you're wrong on this."

"Paige McCullers, you were raised in a God fearing home..."

"I don't fear my God, Dad. I love him. Emily's a good person and I refuse to believe that any God who comes from love could look poorly on someone like her."

"Paige..."

"I'm tired and I'm not hungry. I'm going downstairs."

He was either too taken aback by her sudden backbone or he had no counter argument for her. Whatever the case, he didn't try to stop her as Paige walked downstairs, leaving her silent father in her wake.

**888**

Paige rose early the next morning, pulling on her swimsuit and track pants in the dark. Her bag was already packed and she threw it across her shoulders, tip toeing up the stairs to see if anyone else was up. She heard no dishes or discussion and she quietly opened the basement door, sliding into the dining room. The upstairs lights were on but the lower level was unoccupied. Paige took it as her opportunity to escape, leaving her bike in the garage and opting instead to walk the three miles in to school.

Her father would be at the meet anyway, despite their argument, and would likely insist on giving her a ride home. She was just passing The Brew when her stomach finally declared a state of famine, growling at her for skipping her morning oatmeal. Spirit of rebellion still intact, Paige walked into the cafe with fat and carbs on her mind. She chose the largest muffin she could find and topped off her order with a cream and sugar filled cappuccino.

It made her a little sad to think that at this point yesterday, she had been sharing a muffin with Emily, enjoying her teammates' quiet company. Paige shook off the melancholy, it wouldn't do her any good. Besides, she was determined to make amends and when she put her mind to it, there was little she couldn't accomplish.

She enjoyed her meal as she walked, the three mile trek a good warm-up for her legs. The early morning practice wouldn't be too heavy on fitness, Coach Fulton preferring to use the pre meet sessions to make final adjustments in the line-up. By the time she made her way into the locker room, a number of her teammates were already mid change, the long walk putting Paige slightly behind schedule. Emily was already in the water, the assistant coach walking beside her on the pool deck as the girl swam.

Paige looked for Coach Fulton, eyes finding that of the other woman as she ushered two freshmen into the pool.

"Morning, Paige. How you feeling today?"

"Ready to win, Coach."

"Don't tell, show."

It was a familiar challenge that Fulton had used on them since Paige had been a freshman. Paige nodded at the prod and dove crisply into the pool. The cool water soothed frayed nerves, her liquid home calming her as few things could. Her body began to wake up, shaking off the remnants of sleep as water rushed across her skin.

Practice ran relatively smoothly, no changes needed within the line-up as Paige's relay put out their best combined time of the season.

Emily barely made eye contact with her though she did offer a quiet 'good job' when Paige beat her personal best by a few tenths of a second. When Paige was confident in her own performance, she hauled herself out of the pool and walked over to a set of freshmen who were milling about the pool deck.

"You guys ready for tonight?"

A chorus of swim capped heads nodded in unison, none of the girls particularly outspoken.

"Nervous?"

Another set of nods.

"Don't be. We've got the best coach in the system. We work harder than any other team out there. Keep your turns tight and concentrate on your form. Even if you don't win, do the best you can. That's all that matters. The rest will come."

The girls said nothing, staring at Paige as though she should have more wisdom to offer.

"Still nervous?" They didn't even bother to answer, their collective stare speaking volumes. Paige looked for the assistant coach, finding her in midst of conversing with a sophomore. Deciding to take the lead, Paige grabbed a spare clipboard and a stopwatch from the bench. She motioned for the girl who was starting to hop onto the block. "Best cure for nerves is to get in the pool. Let's get started."

When Coach Fulton called an end to practice, Paige handed the clipboard off to the assistan, pointing out the various times she had clocked the freshmen at. She headed toward the locker room trying to decide whether it was best to engage Emily or let sleeping dogs lie until the worst of it had blown over.

She was saved the decision by the Coach who pulled Paige aside and into her office.

"What's up, Coach?"

Coach Fulton leaned against her desk, arms crossed though her expression was open. "I need a team captain, Paige. We've gotten by so far but these girls need a leader, someone they can come to for help."

"Emily." Paige spoke without hesitation. She had seen the way her younger teammates had drifted toward the friendly girl, accepting her comments as the good natured critiques Emily meant them as. She had a legitimate desire to help her teammates improve and it came through in Emily's conduct. The seniors liked her well enough not to fight the decision and no one else cared enough to make waves. Coach Fulton nodded as though it was something she had considered.

"I like Emily and I think she's growing into a fine athlete. Next year it may be discussion of a co-captaincy. But for now, Paige, I'm looking at you."

Paige frowned, something seeming off with the sudden offer. Her father's mention of politics, even in high school sports, came to mind. "Coach, I don't want..." Paige paused, trying to think of how she could frame her statement delicately. "I don't want this if it's just because my father is throwing his weight around."

"Paige, I think we both recognize that decisions aren't made in a vacuum."

Paige nodded, she knew that more than anyone. It had been drilled into her from the beginning.

"That being said, I don't bend to small minded accusations or the people who deliver them. Even if there weren't other factors, you would still be my choice. Excepting the incident, whatever it was, with Emily..."

Paige looked down, her shame over the entire debacle colouring her face.

"...You've worked hard to rectify your mistakes. These girls need consistency. Emily is a great swimmer and she has been dedicated since she's come back but you're the person this team has seen, day in and day out, for three years. You don't miss practice, you don't let the others slack off, you work harder than ninety five percent of the athletes I've seen walk through my door. No one but you has the kind of voice that Kara had," Coach said. Kara was their strong willed senior who had captained for Paige's first two years, pushing and pulling every teammate along with her to the finish line. "I need a strong presence to advocate for these girls and you're it."

"Coach, I don't know what to say."

"Say you accept. I already had your new suit made up." Coach Fulton held up the standard Rosewood Sharks swimsuit, the only difference being the 'C' silkscreened over the right breast. "I'd planned to tell you yesterday after school but it didn't seem like an appropriate time."

Paige took the suit, feeling the weight of it in her hands. This was what she had been working for, now that she had it, it felt anti-climactic. She held no illusions, getting the Captaincy wouldn't get rid of 'A' now, if it ever would have. It was just something more to add to her plate. She almost wished Coach Fulton had taken her up on the idea of giving it to Emily. Let the other girl deal with the team while she sorted her life out. But at least this would give her a leg to stand on with her father. And she would need everything she could get when the time came.

"Thank you, Coach." Paige turned to leave, stopping as Coach Fulton spoke.

"Paige, I wouldn't give this to you just to placate your father. That's not who I am and it's not the type of role model I want to present to my students. I believe in you. Now you have to start believing in yourself."

Paige smiled, the words warming her as held her new suit tightly in her hand. "I'll fake it 'til I make it, Coach."

**888**

Paige walked into the change room -ten minutes early for the meet- running her speech through her head. She had it set out perfectly in her mind all through last class but he moment she stepped out the door, the ideas that seemed so concrete had deserted her. There had been something about being the future of Rosewood or something high minded like that. Damn. It had sounded good in her head.

She was suited and ready to roll by the time the others filtered in, sitting on the bench as she watched her teammates get ready. It was odd. The small 'C' on her chest added no weight to her suit but the responsibility of it felt heavy on her shoulders. This was officially her team now.

Emily walked in to the locker room, eyes downcast as she thumbed in her locker combo and started to change. Paige wanted to say something, anything to break the ice, get back the camaraderie they had established.

Lost for words as usual, Paige remained silent, only starting to speak when a freshman came up to her to ask advice on her flip turn. Paige turned her attention to her team. She put aside her desire to make things better with Emily, sidelining it while she calmed the nerves of a jittery first time anchor.

"Alrighty, Sharks. Just about time to go." Coach Fulton clapped her hands, commanding the attention of the team. "We'll be heading out in a few minutes. I'm sure your new Captain has some words she'd like to say."

Paige momentarily froze, uncomfortably with the sudden spotlight. She had no script. No plan. Nothing. She was going to have to wing it. Well, if nothing else, maybe her first speech as Captain would flame out in style.

"There's nothing I can say that you don't already know.," Paige began. "We work harder than anyone in this division. Last week, we put Philly in their place. They're one of the top teams in the state and we took them down. This meet won't be any different."

Paige looked around, trying to lock eyes with each of her teammates, fighting her instinctual urge to look down. "We all have our jobs, we all know what we're doing. Everyone fights, no one quits. We're in this together. Look at the person next to you." Paige paused, letting them know she meant it as an order, not a hypothetical. Each girl looked to their side, nodding at each other. "Remember that when you're swimming today, you're not just swimming for yourself, you're swimming for them.. Do your best, earn your keep and we'll go home winners tonight. Oh, and don't leave your anchor to pick up your slack, they're only human. Bring it in for a cheer."

The girls circled formed a circle starting with Paige, hands held in the center. "On Emily," Paige advised, looking at her teammate who stared back at her. A nod passed between them. Whatever else lay between them, they were together in this goal. Even without the captaincy, Emily was as much at the helm as Paige was and she needed the other girl to know it.

Paige out her hand atop Emily's, a trill going up her spine as their skin made contact. Emily spared her a small smile as she began the chant. "Sharks on the three. One, two, three. Sharks!"

**888**

Paige walked out of the natatorium, finding her father standing just outside the door. She made a concerted effort not to roll her eyes as he held a hand out, guiding her by the small of her back away from her team.

"You did well. If that performance wasn't enough to put you back where you're supposed to be then there's no denying the favoritism that's going on here."

Paige shook her head, even now, he couldn't just let it be. She had dominated her part of the relay, as Emily had hers, they were great together in the water. With them book ending either part of the relay, they couldn't lose. It didn't matter who anchored and who started. Hell, they could flip a goddamn coin for the slot and for all she cared. Lining them up together would put Rosewood Sharks on the map, no matter the order.

Paige wanted to comment, had in fact opened her mouth to do so, when her eyes caught on a woman walking toward them, determination in her step. The dark eyes, raven hair and general air of anger let Paige know she was about to meet Emily's mother.

"Nick." Mrs. Fields didn't preface the address with 'hello'. The woman managed to make even her father's name seem like an accusation, an insult. Paige would be lying if she didn't say some part of her enjoyed it.

"Hello, Pam." Her father turned away from Paige, meeting Mrs. Fields head on, though it was without the animosity he had tossed at Mr. Fitz. Paige wondered if her father had tangled with Mrs. Fields before.

"We need to talk."

"I was wondering when I'd hear from you. This isn't personal, you deal with your family problems any way that you want."

Paige flinched at his words, knowing by 'problem' he meant Emily's sexuality. It didn't bode well for Paige in the future and she filed it away as yet another argument she would have to find a counter to.

"This is about what the school is doing to my daughter."

Paige looked at Mrs. Fields, nearly flinching at what she saw. Anger flared in obsidian eyes as the mama bear in Mrs. Fields reared up. Where Mr. Fitz had been placating, even deferential to her father, Mrs. Fields showed no such docility. She was geared for a fight and neither the crowd nor Paige's father would cause her to back down.

Mrs. Fields briefly turned away, her short laugh containing no humour. "Yeah, it's about your daughter. It's about you trying to make her into some kind of professional victim and using my daughter to do it."

"I don't expect you to understand." Her father's tone was softer than was normal. At this point, he should have been mid rant. Paige nearly laughed as she realized what was happening. He was scared of her. The mighty Nick McCullers was genuinely worried about going up against Pamela Fields.

"Oh, I understand. I understand that you always think there's someone else to blame when things don't go your way."

"Okay, you're upset."

"No, not yet. But I'm getting there. My daughter never got anything she didn't earn. That's how we raised her. That is who she is. So you drop this. Nick. Drop it or I'll show you what an agenda really looks like."

Paige stared, open mouthed, at the exchange.

Holy fuck.

Mrs. Fields had just handed her father his ass on a plate. She found herself torn between high fiving the woman and making a break for it before her father worked up the nerve to respond. For his part, her father seemed too stunned to retort, completely unaccustomed to such blatant obstinance.

Mrs. Fields stormed off and Emily hurried after her though not without a fleeting look at Paige.

"I have to grab my books," Paige said, leaving her still silent father standing in the hall as she followed Emily out. She found the Fields women just at the door, conversing in somewhat hushed tones. Paige flattened herself against the lockers and looked around the corner to listen in, hoping she hadn't somehow gotten Emily into trouble.

"I still don't understand but I love you."

Paige closed her eyes, wishing like hell that her father would say something like that to her. That when the time came, he would look at her and, if nothing else, simply agree to disagree.

"You're my child and nobody hurts my child. I'm so sorry if I..."

Emily grabbed her mother, hugging tightly as Mrs. Fields rested her head against her daughter's shoulder. Paige watched, jealousy warring with gratitude that Emily had such a mother in her corner. How could she not go out into the world, head held high, when she had the force of such a person behind her? The pair broke apart, tears evident on both sides.

"I'll see you at home." With that, Mrs. Fields headed out the door, leaving Emily to walk out the hallway by the natatorium. Paige turned back to see her father engaged in a discussion with Dean McNab. As much as she wanted to know what they could find so interesting on a Friday night, Paige ignored them, slipping around the corner to follow after Emily.

No Hastings, no parents, this might be her last chance to make things right with Emily. It was late enough and dark enough that she might slip under 'A's radar. While she was willing to take whatever 'A' dished, Paige had no desire to bait the bitch into outing her before she had a chance to rally herself.

She followed Emily through the lot, trying her best not to feel like a complete creep as she ducked between cars, constantly checking for anyone else around. Emily opened her door and Paige heard the locks disengage, opening the passenger side before the car was started. Emily turned, panic crossing her face for a brief moment before good old fashioned irritation set in.

Paige knew she had limited time before Emily told her where to go and how to get there so she led with what came to mind. No time for a script. "Listen, it's like your mom said, my dad is always looking for someone to blame."

"I have to go home, my mom's waiting for me." Emily seemed to almost be scared of her, as though Paige might try something crazy to prove her point.

"Right, your mom's waiting." For a moment, Paige let her jealousy win over her desire to make it right. Why did Fields get the supportive parents and the army of friends, what had she done so differently? "God, why is everything so easy for you?"

"Easy?" Emily looked affronted at the very suggestion. "What planet do you live on? I spent most of my life trying not to feel the way I feel. I come out and they ship my first girlfriend off to go knows where. And now, maybe she's done with me. So yeah, it's all about Emily. All Em, all the time."

The fire in Emily's eyes, the sudden spark of anger, let Paige know she was losing her. Emily's was starting to tune her out. How could she show the girl that she hadn't set out to hurt her? That, of all the people in the world, she was the one Paige wanted to protect most.

She acted without though, usually the first indication that she was going to do something stupid. Paige shot forward, hands wrapping in thick, silky hair to pull Emily in, their mouths meeting. Emily's lips were soft and supple, the faintest taste of cherry lip gloss and chlorine a combination that made Paige weak. This was what everyone had been talking about. That feeling, deep in the pit of your stomach that the person you were with was just... right. It had been Emily all along.

She was kissing Emily Fields.

Oh crap!

She was kissing Emily Fields!

Paige pulled away, eyes closed, letting out a deep breath. The realization of what she had done only hit home when she opened her eyes, Emily staring at her as though she had grown a second head. There it was. Her deepest secret laid bare before the person who she both feared and trusted most. This truth was all she had to offer.

"Don't tell."

Paige pushed open the door, rushing from the car without so much as a backward glance. She walked back to the school, unable to believe what she had done. It was one thing to out herself to a teammate. It was totally another to throw herself at another girl.

Despite how the kiss had come about, Paige couldn't find it in herself to regret it. If anything, it only cemented what Paige already knew. She was gay, she wanted Emily and if it took every ounce of strength she had, she would keep them safe from both her father and 'A'.

Game on, bitches.

tbc...


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **Oh, how I wish they were mine. Sadly, no.

**Author's Note:** My apologies for the typos in the last chapter. I evidently posted too late to catch all the errors, I'll try not to let that happen again. I will go back and reload the chapter once I have a minute. This chapter contains spoilers for Season 1, Episode 19, 'A Person of Interest' and some vague spoilers for Paige's relationship with Ali that were revealed in late Season 3.

In the Land of Fanfiction, Feedback is King. If you take the time to read, do us authors a solid and take the time to review.

As always, comments and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated. Enjoy!

**888**

Paige's stunned amazement over the kiss lasted about as long as it took her to get back to the school. The moment her eyes met those of her father, abject panic set in. What the hell had she been thinking? Exposing herself like that, at school no less? It wasn't just about her, what if she had put Emily in danger with the move? What if in her desperate attempt to salvage some kind of relationship, she had pushed the other girl into 'A' s crosshairs?

She followed behind her father to the car, the man surprisingly docile considering Mrs. Field had called him onto the carpet. In front of a large group of parents no less. A small part of Paige -the piece of her that wanted some form of vengeance for what her father had done to her- clapped gleefully. It was the little things in life.

"Your mother and I are going to visit your Aunt in Philadelphia for the weekend," he said as they drove, passing the quiet rows of houses that led to their neighborhood. "Would you like to come with us?"

The words 'no way in hell' were on Paige's lips but she pulled them back at the last second. Why he thought she would get any enjoyment from being locked in close quarters with him after their earlier fight, she didn't know. But then, a flat out refusal would only cause suspicion.

"Actually, I was hoping…" Paige fumbled for a reason to stay, "uh, that I could take some more lessons with Keith this weekend," she finished, mentally hitting her head against the dashboard. The idea was about as appealing as a root canal but it was a viable excuse. "I need to stay sharp, now that I'm Captain." Paige dropped that last bit of information casually, as though it were no big deal, something she had expected.

"That sounds reasonable. I'll call him on the road to get some times set up," he said with an approving nod. He seemed relieved to not have Paige tag along, as if he was leery of being with her. She wouldn't blame him. She had been showing more of backbone lately and with Mrs. Fields holding her ground, he likely wasn't in the mood for any more dissonance.

Her parents left early the next morning, leaving Paige to sort her weekend out for herself. The first order of business was getting a new cell phone to replace the one she had smashed in the locker room. A quick trip to the pawn shop had her well sorted. A trip to the local phone company had the phone reset and Paige was up and running again.

Paige popped her memory card into the back of the new phone -one of the few pieces to survive intact- relieved not to find any more messages from 'A'. It did give her an idea and Paige headed to one of the mall kiosks that unlocked phones.

"Hi."

"Hi there, what can I do for you?"

"I was wondering how I could go about finding a blocked number? I keep getting spam texts and I'm not sure how to get rid of them."

"Well, the phone company would have those records but they don't make habit of giving those up. Not without a court order."

Paige thanked the man and went on her way, briefly debating the idea of turning her phone over to the police. They could force the order and have 'A's number unblocked. Unfortunately, that would take time and it would be no short order to keep 'A' out of the loop and prevent them from doing something dangerous in the interim. Paige didn't think she could take the chance. Shy of sleeping with someone in the telephone company to get them to give up the number, Paige was shit out of luck. Again.

Paige spent the rest of her weekend alternating between catching up on homework, her tedious sessions with Keith and ignoring the phone messages Emily kept leaving. She couldn't fault the girl for wanting answers but considering she had so few to give, Paige didn't see the point in calling her back.

Monday came all too soon and Paige purposefully dragged her feet getting to practice, slipping in just on time and keeping herself as far from Emily as possible. At the end of practice, she was changed and out of the locker room before most of the others had even stripped down, foregoing her usual shower routine in favour of getting the hell out. Evening practice went much the same way, Paige pointedly avoiding Emily and finding any reason to stay behind and talk to Coach Fulton.

Most of the week passed in a similar fashion, Paige learning to time it just right that she saw Emily in passing but never had opportunity for the girl to corner her into talking. She still had no idea what to say. 'Sorry my dad is an ass?' 'Sorry I kissed you?' 'Sorry I've avoided you like you've got the plague?'

Unfortunately, the fates worked to conspire against her and by Friday morning, the jig was up. Paige wandered into the locker room to collect the gear she had accidentally left the night before. The change in her schedule, from early morning to late evening, had completely thrown off her rhythm. Paige was startled to find Emily standing by her locker, the girl staring at her.

"I forgot my bag here last night." Paige said by way of explanation as she bent down to retrieve her books from the locker.

"Have you been swimming at night because you know I'm here in the mornings?"

Paige avoided looking at her teammate, knowing that if she looked into Emily's eyes, she wouldn't be able to lie. "Just kinda worked out that way," Paige said, digging zealously into her bag though there was nothing in there of any interest.

"I left you a couple messages."

"I went to visit my Aunt, she's old. And sick." It was the closest she could get to the truth. She couldn't very well tell the girl that she had spent her weekend trying to hunt down a psychotic stalker whom seemed hell bent on destroying them both.

"I thought maybe you were avoiding me."

"No. I just...No."

"Okay, this is beyond awkward." Emily stared at her, dark eyes demanding answers that Paige couldn't give. "Can we please talk about what happened?"

"There's nothing to talk about," Paige deflected, her gaze shifting around the somewhat crowded locker room.

"You kissed me. Remember?"

"Emily, just drop it." There were too many people milling about, any of them could be 'A'. Paige wasn't convinced that it wasn't someone on the team. She didn't want to put them back on 'A's radar by talking about her lapse in judgment in such a public place.

"So you want to pretend like it didn't happen?" Emily looked hurt that Paige would give her the brush off. It nearly broke Paige's resolve but she knew she couldn't back down. Not with all these people watching. She looked at Emily, eyes focused on her teammate but attention shifting between her and the others around them.

"Yes. Please."

"Consider it forgotten." Emily stormed off, bag hitched high on her shoulder, irritation written in her step. Paige sat, letting out a sigh as she massaged her temples.

Being gay had to be genetic, there was no way it was a choice. Who the hell would willingly choose to deal with another woman for the rest of their lives? They were temperamental, overly dramatic and an unmitigated pain in the ass. Hot as hell, but still. Paige sometimes wished she could like boys just to deal with their simplicity. Women were too much damn work.

Minor meltdown complete, Paige pushed herself up from the bench and made her way to class. Emily and the others were already in their seats, chattering quietly as they waited for the lecture to begin. Paige passed by, trying not to roll her eyes as Emily ignored her.

Paige's thoughts were nowhere near the lecture -honestly it was a miracle she hadn't totally failed the semester- mind working on a way to talk to Emily without endangering them both. Obviously the kiss had served some kind of purpose. Emily had actually spoken to her again rather than continuing with the frosty one way exchanges that had dominated their last few conversations. It was progress, slow progress, but it was still movement.

Paige was loathe to lose what little ground she had gained and thus far, there had been no repercussions from 'A'. Either Paige had successfully kept the kiss under wraps or 'A' was holding their cards in hand, waiting for the best moment to strike. Both were possible and Paige chose not to worry over it. 'A' would make their move, or not. There was nothing she could do about that. The problem she could correct was the situation with Emily and Paige set her sights on that.

She waited until lunch to put the plan in motion, using her new phone to search for somewhere to meet. She needed something out of the way, obscure enough that 'A' wouldn't think to look for them there. That left out the Grill, The Brew, The Rearview and damn near every other place in Rosewood. Paige briefly thought of the theatre but the idea of sitting next to Emily in the dark, with no chaperone, made her stupid just in the hypothetical. If she were to actually do it, her entire being would likely combust. Best if it were some place public, where Paige was forced to behave.

The search engine found a two star rated karaoke bar just beyond the town limits, the online photo not endearing the place to Paige. It wasn't ideal but beggars couldn't be choosers. Paige saved the address in her phone before she jotted it down on a piece of notepaper. Passing Emily's locker on her way to the gym, Paige did a quick check of the hallway to make sure she was alone before sliding the note through the metal grill.

If nothing else, she would at least get a chance to explain her actions to Emily. Not all of them, but some. Satisfied that the problem was as sorted as it could be for the time being, Paige made her way to the locker room. She quickly changed out of her school clothes and slipped into her workout gear.

She had been slacking lately, not enough for others to notice, but enough for her to be antsy. While the meet with Scranton had gone well, Paige had been unhappy with how sore she had been afterward. Paige's brief cardio routine was skipped in favour of a longer weight training session. Paige set up the barbell on the bench, adding more weight than was likely wise. The point was driven home when her shoulder began to protest as she pumped her way through a set of chest presses.

Paige narrowed her eyes, pushing through the discomfort. Nothing irritated her more than her body being unable to do the things she demanded of it. She worked hard to keep herself fit and the idea that something was beyond her capabilities vexed her to no end. She was midway through her last set of chest presses when her strength began to falter, the barbell stuck mid press.

Damn it.

Paige dug deep, gritting her teeth as she braced her feet on the floor and tried to force the overloaded bar up. Her muscles wouldn't respond to her commands and Paige knew she might be in trouble. The words of her personal trainer rang in her ears. Always bring a buddy.

Damn. Damn. Damn.

Unable to hold the weight, her arms began to collapse and Paige tried to find a way to wriggle from beneath the barbell without breaking her neck or cracking her skull open. She was about to make a last ditch effort to tip the bench over and hope for the best when the door to the fitness room opened. Paige turned her head to see one of the boys from the swim team enter.

"Little help here," she called out, muscles failing. He dropped his gym bag and sprinted over to Paige to help haul the bar back into place. She let out a breath, dropping her head against the bench as she willed her shaking body to still.

"You okay?"

"Yeah." Paige threw an arm over her eyes, embarrassed not only by her performance but that she had been forced to seek aid. Pathetic. "Thanks."

"No problem. I'm Sean."

Paige dropped her arm to find the earnest looking boy holding out a hand. Paige took it, giving a firm shake. "Paige."

"You want me to spot you for another set?"

"No, I think I'm done with weights for the day." Paige pushed herself up on her elbows, arms still shaking.

"Okay." He gave a friendly smile and walked back to his bag, pulling out a set of boxing gloves and wrist straps. "You don't mind do you?" He indicated the heavy bag with his glove.

"I'm sure this place is big enough for both of us," Paige answered, watching curiously as he strapped his hands up and tugged on his gloves. He walked over to the speed bag, taking a few test hits before he began to work it in earnest, the bag a blur as he hit it in quick succession.

When he seemed sufficiently warmed up, he moved to the heavy bag, launching his fists at it with increasing power. Paige observed the technique, the way his hips would twist as he moved, the punch originating from his core to travel through his shoulder, down his arm and out of his fist.

The bag began to swing, the somewhat unpredictable movement causing more than one misstep on Sean's part. Figuring one good turn deserved another, Paige stood and walked over. Careful to avoid the flying fists, she grabbed either side of the bag and put her shoulder into it, using her body weight to hold the bag steady.

Sean said nothing but the force and speed of his hits increased until the last minute of work was nothing but high intensity strikes that nearly bounced Paige off the bag. When the strikes finally stopped, Paige looked around the bag to find Sean exhausted, his Rosewood Sharks t-shirt completely drenched. That was a hell of a workout.

"That was cool," Paige said, watching as Sean pulled the gloves off. He held them out to her.

"Want to try?"

"I don't usually hit anything unless I have a hockey stick in hand."

"It's easy, I'll show you."

Genuinely curious, Paige shrugged her agreement, slipping her hands into the offered gloves. Considering she lived in Rosewood -terrorized by an omnipresent stalker- learning how to hit something wasn't the worst idea in the world. Sean tightened the straps around her wrists and turned her toward the bag.

"Okay, we'll start with your guard. You need to keep your hands up to protect your head."

"Why, is the bag going to hit me back?" Paige asked with a smirk. Sean laughed, pulling Paige's hands into position, her fists at ear level.

"The heavy bag won't but I've gotten clocked by the speed bag before. All right, good, keep your hands there."

Paige could feel the strain on her shoulders already, the heavy gloves felt like lead weight.

"We'll start with a jab." Sean stood beside her, demonstrating the move. "You try."

Paige made a reasonable copy of the punch, years of athletics allowing her body to move in sync with itself.

"Good. Drop your hips a little and try out a few more."

Paige punched at the air, finding that her right hand naturally dropped below her ear. Sean tapped her elbow when it got too low to remind her and she corrected herself, switching stances at his direction. "Feel okay?"

Paige nodded, it actually felt good.

"All right, let's hit the bag." Sean steadied the bag for her and Paige tapped at it lightly, the strike barely registering up her arm. When she was reasonably certain that she wouldn't break her wrist, she hit harder. The jolt up her arm felt surprisingly good and she hit again, lips quirking in response to Sean's encouraging smile.

She tested out both arms, concentrating on her technique. If she was going to learn, it wouldn't do to grab hold of bad habits early on. Her shoulders were burning by the time her watch beeped out her ten minute warning and she dropped her hands, glad for the relief.

"How do you feel?"

"Awesome. I won't be able to move in the morning but that was fun. Thanks."

"Always glad to get another convert. Meet Monday? Same time, same place?"

"You're on." Paige handed him his gloves, gave a wave and headed to the change room on double time, stripping as she walked to the shower. A quick rinse and she was out of the shower, ignoring the hair dryer in the favour of a ponytail. She only had one class and then practice, there was no sense in going through too much effort.

Paige went through her final class without paying much attention, mind already focused on practice. She was in the pool before any of the others arrived, launching herself easily off the three metre diving board in, hitting the water with a splash.

She didn't have the sense of timing to compete in diving but she loved to watch it. During the odd times when the board wasn't occupied and she was feeling daring, she would test out moves she had recently seen. Paige had hit the water awkwardly more than once over the years but -as with everything else- she simply shook it off and kept moving.

Surfacing from a particularly ungraceful back flip, Paige found a small group few freshmen staring at her from the deck. She swam over and hauled herself out, squeezing her ponytail to wring out the worst of the water.

Paige looked at the group, the lot of them nervous, curious and probably a little scared of her. Any of them could have been Paige during her freshmen year. Her old captain, Kara, had made a point of pulling them out of their shells, forcing them to test themselves in the water in unfamiliar ways. Emily had done it for her too, when Paige had found her desire to swim flagging. Keeping it fun, playing hard after working hard, made the grueling schedule worth it.

These girls were the future of the team and Paige was responsible for them. She could never be what Kara was, what Emily might have been, but that couldn't stop her from trying. "Who wants to play tag?"

"Tag? In the pool?"

"We are swimmers, so yes, that would be the idea."

"How do we play tag in the water?"

Paige raised an eyebrow and walked over to the girl, seeing her shrink into herself. "Kind of like this." She poked the girl lightly in the shoulder. "Tag, you're it." With that, Paige hopped onto the diving board and gave a quick double jump before launching herself into a tight tuck dive. She surfaced to hear the peals of laughter from her younger teammates, each girl throwing themselves into the pool ahead of the tagged freshman.

By the time Coach Fulton appeared, they were more than warmed up, the team swimming circles around a quickly tiring Chloe as she sought out someone to tag. Paige thought the coach would put a stop to the game and call them to order but she merely spiked a ball into the water. Paige called out for it, jumping up to launch it at a freshman who served it back across the pool. The hour long practice passed in a flash, everyone surprised when the Coach blew the whistle to call them in.

Paige pulled her body out of the water, her teammates chattering happily as they headed to the locker room. Emily gave her an approving nod as she walked by, listening to one of the freshmen talk about Paige's earlier antics on the diving board. Paige hung behind, walking with Coach Fulton to her office.

"Thanks for that, Coach. I think they needed a break."

"It was a good call. You've all been working hard. I'll see you bright and early, Monday."

"Bells on," Paige promised, waving a hand in goodbye before heading for the locker room. By the time she had rinsed the chlorine from her body, Emily was gone as were the majority of her teammates. Most didn't bother to shower after late practice. Usually, Paige didn't either but she had no desire to go home earlier than was necessary. Friday was takeout night so she wouldn't catch flak for being late to dinner. Paige took her time changing and collecting her bike, arriving home just after five thirty.

Her mother's car was in the driveway though not her father's and Paige let out a relieved sigh as she tucked her bike in the garage. There was a note on the table, attached to a twenty dollar bill and her mother's car keys. Her parents were out for the evening, she had use of the car but was to be back by midnight as was customary. Paige pumped her fist in the air. Finally, something had gone her way.

Heading downstairs to get ready, Paige sprayed on a leave in conditioner and let it set before she dared to take a brush to it. Outfit choice was next and she worked her way through her entire closet, twice, before giving up the entire exercise as fruitless. What could she wear that would compare to Emily? The girl would look good wearing a burlap sap. Her phone rang just as she tossed a plaid skirt back onto her bed, staring at the clothing pile in disgust. Paige picked up, Pru's number flashing at her.

"Hey, what's up?" Paige greeted, grimacing at the blue cardigan her dad had gotten her for Christmas. Honestly, it felt like living with a politician.

"Just wanted to see what you're doing tonight."

"Oh, uh, I actually have... plans."

The silence on the other end of the line indicated she had surprised Pru with her answer. Given her hectic schedule, Paige rarely had plans on a Friday and when she did, they were with Pru.

"Plans?"

"Yeah, plans."

"Like a date?" Pru's tone said she found this an unlikely theory but was willing to test it.

"Kinda. Maybe. I don't know."

"With who?!"

"I don't want to say just yet. I don't want to jinx it." If asked, Paige would swear she could hear Pru's pout over the airwaves. It had been months since Paige had anything resembling a love life so fresh gossip was a big deal.

"What are you wearing?"

Paige stared balefully at the pile of clothes. "I have no idea."

"If you told me who it was I could tell you how to dress," Pru quipped.

"Yeah, nice try."

"Fine. Do you still have the jean skirt and boots I left at your place?"

Paige found the items tucked into the dresser drawer that had long been designated as Pru's and pulled them out. "Yeah."

"Good. Wear those and a nice top. Not one of those ones your mom bought you," Pru warned.

"Uh, Pru..." Paige held up the skirt. "This is a little short."

"One, it's not, you just insist on dressing like you're going to meet the Pope. And two, you compete half naked in front of hundreds of people, you can afford to show a little leg."

"This is more than a little leg."

"Don't be such a prude. It'll look good. Text me and let me know how it goes. And do something with your bangs."

With that, Pru hung up leaving Paige to stare at the phone, surprised by the abrupt end in the conversation. She opted to go with the outfit -though she added stockings so she didn't feel quite so exposed- matching the skirt and boots to a dark shirt Pru had convinced her to buy. She fussed with her hair, trying to soften the sharp edges of the blunt cut bangs.

Somewhat satisfied with the edgier look and left with no time to change anyway, Paige set off for the bar. She made good time, sliding into a booth just a little shy of ten minutes early. She ordered a soda, more to have something to occupy her hands than any real want of a drink

Her phone beeped and for a split second Paige's heart dropped in her chest. What if Emily was texting to cancel? Worse, what if 'A' was texting to let her know she wasn't fooling anyone? There was no denying the sigh of relief when she found Pru's number on the display rather than the blocked number she had half expected.

**Good luck!-Pru**

Paige didn't bother with a reply, sliding the phone back into her bag. She had no sooner put the device away that the door opened, the din of country music and drunken chatter fading to nothing as she met eyes with Emily. Paige had to force herself to breathe, hell, force the whole damn world to restart, absently waving a hand at her teammate. Emily walked toward her, lustrous hair bouncing agreeably as she made her way over. Paige instantly felt frumpy in comparison, despite her borrowed wardrobe, but she did her best to hide it as Emily slid into the seat across from her.

The simple grey tank top and jeans was nothing special but the way the outfit clung to her toned body, -fabric shifting with the play of Emily's muscles- left Paige staring somewhat stupidly as her teammate settled in.

"Do you come here a lot?" Emily asked as she peeled off her jacket.

Paige took in the room, acknowledging that it wasn't the poshest choice. "I didn't realize it was so..."

"Rustic?"

"I found it online. I thought it would be.."

"Remote."

"You going to finish all my sentences?" Paige asked, a smile coming unbidden to her lips. It wasn't as though she minded but it would make for a rather halting conversation.

"Sorry," Emily said, obviously still uneasy with the entire situation.

"That was a joke," Paige qualified, wondering how she could manage to mess up less than a minute in. Best to just get to it then.

"I was..." Paige and Emily spoke as one and they both stopped, looking to the other to proceed.

"You go first," Emily allowed.

"You were right today. I was avoiding you," Paige admitted, still debating how much to tell the other girl. "I scared myself that night when I..."

"Kissed me?"

"There you go again." Paige smiled, wondering if it was a habit of Emily's to jump in or if she was just that keen to figure out what was going on. "The first time I saw you with Maya, when I realized you were together, I finally admitted to myself that I was like you."

Emily seemed to take the information in stride, curiosity winning out over her suspicion. "Am I the first girl you've kissed?"

Paige sighed but nodded, it wasn't as though she could lie. It had been a desperate, stolen kiss. An attempt to get Emily to understand the push and pull that had been coming from her. Paige didn't regret it but she wished the feelings had been mutual. "Romantic, huh?"

"Definitely surprised me."

"So, was Maya your first girlfriend?"

"She was. But she wasn't the first girl I've ever kissed. I was in love with Alison." Emily was obviously uncomfortable with the admission as she played with the bracelet on her wrist. Paige bit back a sharp bark of humourless laughter. How Emily could have fallen for a girl like Alison was beyond her. But then, Paige probably had no room to be throwing stones.

"Was she in love with you?" It would explain so much of what happened back then. Why Alison had aimed such intense animosity toward Paige when they had barely crossed paths before ninth grade.

"No."

No. Of course not, that would have too easy. Paige wasn't surprised, nothing in her interactions with Alison indicated the girl had even been capable of love. But she was certainly capable of jealousy and she wouldn't have liked someone else commanding Emily's attention.

"I didn't know her well but she seemed liked a very... dynamic person." The words tasted like ashes in her mouth but telling Emily that her first love had been nothing short of Satan's spawn probably wasn't the best way to win her over.

"She was that." Emily looked away, her eyes downcast. Paige wondered if there wasn't more to the story. Perhaps even sweet Emily, one of the four chosen, hadn't been immune to Alison's antics. All things considered, Paige wouldn't put it past Alison to manipulate Emily's feelings for all they were worth.

"Maya was kinda like that too, right?" Paige asked, hoping to bring them back to a more cheerful conversation. Switching conversations of dead girlfriends for incarcerated ones, you know how to pick'em, McCullers.

"Yeah, I guess I like..."

"Ballsy women."

They both laughed at the unexpectedly astute comment. Paige barely believed the words had come out of her mouth. Something about Emily, her easy confidence or gentle presence allowed Paige to just... be Paige.

"Congratulations on making captain, by the way. I didn't get a chance to tell you earlier."

"Thanks." Paige pursed her lips before sipping at her soda.

"What's up? I thought you wanted the captaincy."

Paige paused, wondering how to answer without outright lying to Emily. "Other people wanted me to be Captain," she answered, letting Emily assume what she would. "To be honest, it's just one more thing I have to deal with."

"I can see that, you've got a lot on your plate."

Paige waved off the comment, if they got on the topic of her troubles, they'd be here all night. They sat in silence, the long moment beginning to border on awkward, when the unfortunate crooning of a person on stage caused them both to chuckle.

"If nothing else, you've got to admire their guts," Emily said. Paige turned to look over the booth, trying not to laugh at the drunk man's rendition of Journey.

"Not a big karaoke person?"

"Not even close. I'm way too shy for that kind of thing. I am going to use the intermission to use the rest room though. Be right back." Emily headed off to the back of the bar. Paige watched her go, eyes fixated on the way her teammate filled out her jeans. She was so occupied that she failed to notice the large karaoke book heading for her until it was basically plopped in her lap.

"C'mon, darling, I don't have anyone else signed up. Pretty girls on stage make for good motivation." The karaoke leader, a ginger haired woman in her forties, smiled brightly at Paige.

"Uh," Paige stuttered, well aware that she was completely incapable of singing. She remembered Emily's comment about being too shy to sing. The girl was practically a superhero in her eyes, it wouldn't do for Emily to think there was something she was incapable of.

Besides, singing was kind of ballsy.

Paige pointed to a song that she was certain Emily would know, having heard her teammate hum the tune on their bus trip to competition. She took the mic, choking down the nerves that threatened to leave her mute. She had to face this like a meet, a challenge, a problem to be solved. She was Paige freaking McCullers and nothing, not even being two steps shy of tone deaf, would stop her from winning.

Hopping on stage, Paige nodded for the music to start. She hummed out the beginning of the tune, testing her voice when the lyrics started. The audience barely looked at her which was fine but those who were looking didn't seem particularly enthralled. It didn't matter if she sucked, as long as she made it look fun to Emily. It was better to fail epically than to be completely unmemorable.

Paige closed her eyes, blocking out the din of the bar. She smiled as her mind found one of her favourite childhood memories, her and her mother singing into wooden spoons as they danced in the kitchen, radio wailing in the background.

Her voice grew louder as Paige stopped trying to out perform, stopped trying to be the best and simply enjoyed the moment. Emily came out of the washroom mid verse and they locked eyes, the darker girl smiling widely at Paige's enthusiastic singing.

"I guess I just lost my husband, I don't know where he went. So I'm gonna drink my money, I'm not gonna pay his rent. I got a brand new attitude and I'm gonna wear it tonight. I'm gonna get in trouble, I'm gonna start a fight." Paige ignored how apt her song choice had been, choosing instead to point at her teammate. "Hey everybody, can you help me get my friend up here to sing along?"

The hoots and hollers from the crowd should have been encouragement enough but Emily stayed in place.

"No, no way." Emily shook her head, firmly rooted to her spot as the others yelled out their encouragement.

"They love you already." Paige looked around at the enthusiastic bar patrons who seemed as eager as she to get Emily onstage.

"I don't do karaoke."

Paige thought for a brief blip of a moment that Emily might actually be serious. Paige knew the girl was enough like her that all she needed was an extra push.

"C'mon, Emily." Paige pinned her teammate with her most challenging stare. "Take a walk on the wild side."

Emily gave in, walking up to the stage with more than a little swagger in her step. "I'm so going to get you back for this."

Paige held out an extra mic, smirk firmly in place. "Nanananana, he's going to start fight." They belted out the lyrics together, Emily shy for the first part of the verse until Paige turned to her, goading her on. "Nananananana, we're all gonna get in a fight!"

"So, so what, I'm having more fun..." Paige turned to Emily, their eyes meeting, amusement evident in her teammate's dark gaze. Paige smiled, officially chalking the night up as one of the best of her life. This was what she wanted in a person, someone exciting and unafraid to rise to a challenge. They finished off the song, Emily grinning widely, chest heaving as she caught her breath. Paige took her hand, holding it in the air before giving an exaggerated bow to the applauding crowd.

Laughing all the way to their seats, Paige waved at the karaoke leader who gave her a thankful thumbs up as she busily took song slips from the other patrons.

"See? Nothing to worry about," Paige assured before gulping down the remainder of her drink.

"Maybe but if I go back up there, you're coming with me. I'm not doing it on my own."

Paige raised an eyebrow.

"That's not a challenge, McCullers." Emily balled up a napkin and tossed it at her before pulling the karaoke book over. "And I get to choose the next song."

Paige grinned, more than happy to go wherever Emily led her.

Karaoke was still going strong when they decided to call it a night. They had exhausted talk of their common interests and Paige was cutting it close to curfew. A woman -armed with a smoky voice and a instant command of the room- was at the mic, the beginnings strands of a soft Pink song playing as they collected their things.

"Have you ever fed a lover, with just your hand..."

Paige allowed Emily to precede her, the melody following them outside. The din of the rowdy crowd faded as the patrons stopped to give their attention to the woman, her voice enthralling everyone from the barkeep to the karaoke organizer.

"I'm over here," Emily pointed to the far end of the parking lot, her Toyota shrouded in darkness.

"I'll walk you over," Paige offered. They ambled over, Paige not rushing, determined to draw out the perfect night for as long as possible. It was unlikely she would get another night like this -Emily all to herself- and she wanted to memorize every piece of it. The cool air, the rustle of the trees, the warmth of the girl beside her.

They stopped at Emily's car and Paige found herself at a loss. What was proper protocol to end a night with a lesbian teammate who she wasn't dating but had a massive crush on? Handshake? Hug? A well timed sprint for the car before her brain let her do something stupid?

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, about to cut her losses with a simple 'goodnight' when Emily leaned forward, lips touching Paige's. It caught her by surprise, her brain nearly failing to register what was happening. To her body's credit, it operated on auto pilot, leaning into soft lips as her hands rested gently on Emily's forearms, a small measure of reassurance that this was real. Emily was kissing her.

If their first kiss had been eye opening, this one registered as mind blowing. It wasn't a panicked move of desperation. She hadn't caught Emily off guard. Emily had initiated it. She knew exactly who Paige was and kissed her anyway, her lip gloss sweet on Paige's mouth. Her every sense was occupied by Emily, the light, clean scent of her perfume, the taste of strawberries, the plump lips that Paige was certain had been hand crafted by a higher power.

As they broke apart, Emily smiling shyly at her, the song inside the bar ended, the applause outmatching any other singer. For Paige, in that one perfect moment in time -the stars and moon bright overhead with the girl of her dreams in front of her- it felt like the whole world clapped for her.

Tbc.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimers:** We've done this for awhile, we all know I don't own them.

**Author's Note:** Tuesday. Nothing much happens on Tuesday. This chapter contains spoilers for Season 1, Episode 19, 'A Person of Interest'.

Please remember to tip your bards. If you take the time to read, do your authors a solid and take the extra second to review.

As always, comments and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated. Enjoy!

**888**

Paige pulled into the driveway, minutes before curfew, her father's car not yet in the drive. It didn't matter. She knew she would get the requisite call on the house landline at twelve sharp. If she didn't pick up the phone, there would be hell to pay when her parents got home.

The phone rang just as Paige dumped her purse on the table. Right on time. Paige picked it up, tamping down on her good mood. The last thing she needed was her dad asking questions about her whereabouts.

"Hello?"

"You're home. Good. Your mother and I will be late tonight, you're alright?"

"I'm fine, Dad."

"You have your lesson with Keith first thing in the morning," he reminded. It was a not so subtle hint that he thought she should make her way to bed. Not even the thought of yet another tedious lesson with Keith could bring Paige off her high.

"I know. I'm going to bed now," Paige answered agreeably. They said their goodnights and she hung up, glad that it had been a short conversation. Paige headed downstairs, her phone beeping shrilly from the depths of her purse as she walked behind her small gym, headed for her bedroom. She made the conscious decision to ignore it. If it was 'A', she wanted this small moment of victory to herself before the bitch brought her down.

A quick flick of her stereo and she was thumbing through her music playlists until she came across her P!nk album. Paige turned up the volume, dancing to the familiar lyrics as she peeled off Pru's borrowed clothes, tossing the skirt into the hamper. Her entire body tingled as she remembered standing on stage, belting out karaoke while Emily stood beside her. And the kiss!

Paige was certain she was going to wear out that particular memory like a well used VHS, simply from replaying it so often. Her phone beeped its reminder that she had a message and she reluctantly picked it up. It was only going to continue pestering her.

She flipped it open, hoping 'A' wasn't about to ruin her mood with a snarky remark about how well her date had gone. She was pleasantly surprised to find Pru's number in the display and she clicked to open the message.

**Deets. Now.-Pru**

Paige pursed her lips, knowing full details were impossible but if she didn't give Pru something, the girl was liable to go digging on her own.

**Went well. I think the skirt helped. -Paige**

** Of course it did. Kiss? No kiss?- Pru**

** Kiss.-Paige**

Paige typed the word, unable to keep control of the giddy smile that spread across her face. Emily had kissed her. She closed her eyes, memory still fresh as she focused on the softness of Emily's lips, the near electric tingle that worked through her body at the contact. She hated to sound like a bad romance novel, but if there were one word to describe the night, it would have to be 'magical'.

It was the intensity of her feelings that surprised her. There was no doubt Paige could be intense. Intensely competitive. Intensely combative. Intensely romantic? It wasn't really a thought that had crossed her mind. She had dismissed the all consuming romances she had read about in books as over written hokum.

And yet, here she was, grinning like a fool while she listened to two songs on a loop, dancing with herself in her basement.

Magical.

When she thought her brain had calmed down enough for sleep, Paige shucked the rest of her clothes, tossing the remainder of the outfit into the laundry hamper. She exchanged her clothes for an oversized Rosewood Sharks t-shirt and boxer briefs, the loose cotton comfortable after a night in tights.

Paige slid into bed, her phone abandoned on her nightstand as she pulled the covers up over her shoulders. She fell asleep to the memory of Emily's lips on hers, the scent of strawberries following her into her dreams.

**888**

Morning came far too early, the incessant trill of her alarm clock pulling Paige from a dream that -even in her half addled state- left her far warmer than normal. Immediately frustrated with the start of the day, she hit the alarm clock with a little more zeal than necessary, knocking the now silent machine to the floor. She rolled out of bed, foregoing her shower in favour of slipping on her swimsuit.

Keith would be over within the hour for her first set of lessons. Paige's time was better spent powering down a quick breakfast that wouldn't make her cramp up in the pool. Paige tossed on a set of thick sweatpants and a hoodie to ward off the early morning chill before she trudged up the stairs.

Neither of her parents were up, unsurprising considering the hour. Capitalizing on the small bit of freedom, Paige made herself an extra egg and a second piece of toast that she slathered in butter. Loading the rest of her plate with fruit, Paige hurried outside to eat her over sized meal in peace. She was cutting it close by eating so much this near to her lesson but it was rare to eat an unsupervised meal. She was determined to milk it for all it was worth.

The deck and pool patio were still shrouded in darkness, the sun not quite risen over the horizon. Paige relaxed into the deep Adirondack chairs, her thick, warm clothes a delicious contrast to the cool concrete beneath her feet. It was coming on being too cool to swim outdoors but Paige much preferred the comfort of her own pool. Keith taught out of her father's country club, a stuffy, stilted facility that boasted no personality to speak of. Truth be told, the worn in, well loved atmosphere of the Rosewood High pool was where she felt most at home.

Still, it was nice to enjoy swimming outdoors while she could. Paige soaked in the moment of respite, knowing her weekend would be its usual hectic pace. The quiet allowed her the time to reflect on last night, the warmth in her chest not dimmed by the passage of a few hours time.

The conversation, the karaoke, hell even the grimy bar were imprinted on Paige's mind. The entire series of events had been so perfectly set together that Paige couldn't have crafted a better night if she tried. Her phone beeped and Paige pulled it from her hoodie, unashamed by the near squeal she let out to see Emily's number on the display.

**Up yet, McCullers?- Emily**

Paige forced herself to wait a reasonable length of the time, hoping not to showcase what a total dork she was with an immediate reply. She finished her last piece of toast, sliding buttery fingers over the tiny keyboard as she searched for an appropriately cheeky reply. Satisfied that it was a decent offering, given the early hour, she hit 'send'.

**Please, I've already had breakfast. Day's half over, Fields. -Paige**

She finished her breakfast, chomping down on her last piece of fruit salad when she got her reply.

**Feel like a swim? The pool opens in an hour. We could get coffee?-Emily**

Paige was certain she had never disliked Keith so much as she did in that moment when he unlocked the fence gate, ruining any chance she had of canceling the lesson. Damn.

**I'm just about to hit the water with my trainer. Raincheck?-Paige**

** Still determined to beat me, huh? –Emily**

**Someone needs to keep you on your toes. Text you later? –Paige**

**Okay. Have fun.-Emily**

Paige locked her phone and tucked it away, nodding at Keith as he crossed the large patio to get to her.

"Morning."

"Morning." Paige did her best not to hate him. It wasn't his fault that he was keeping her from spending time with Emily. The two hour lesson passed quickly enough, Paige's attention never truly focused on the pool but on a certain brunette who insisted on occupying her thoughts.

By the time Paige was done, her father was at the edge of the pool, conversing with Keith as she finished her cool down laps. She pointedly chose not to listen in, preferring not to obsess over whatever plans they had next.

"All right, Paige. That's good," Keith called out.

Paige looked up, getting a nod from her father to confirm that the lesson was over. She hauled her body out of the pool, accepting the thick towel her father offered along with the protein shake. Paige hit the hot tub as was her norm, letting out a satisfied groan as she felt her muscles loosen. Her shoulder hadn't enjoyed such a lengthy lesson and she knew a long stretch would be necessary to keep the nagging joint mobile. The sun was up now, bright rays beating down on Paige as she sipped at her recovery drink.

Her father shook hands with Keith and the coach was on his way, waving at Paige as he left. Paige gave him a distracted wave, her attention already focused on her approaching father who looked like a man with a mission. What now?

"He think it's about time you started meeting him at the club."

Paige nodded, knowing the convenience of homes lessons couldn't last forever. They were already stretching it by swimming outdoors this late into the season.

"You up for another lesson this afternoon or do you want to save it for tomorrow?" His gaze flicked to her shoulder, evidently able to see how Paige was favouring it.

"I'd rather save it." Paige rotated her shoulder, the tell tale stiffness letting her know she had overdone it. Between the near miss with the weights at the gym, the boxing and the rigourous swim practice, she had definitely tweaked it.

"Want a hand?"

Paige nodded, lifting her arm overhead. Her father worked through the litany of familiar stretches that would ensure Paige was actually mobile in the morning. It was times like this when Paige loved him most. She was able to think of him as the proud father of her earlier years rather than the competitive man he had slowly been replaced with. Before everything had been about scholarships and colleges and presenting the best face. When just seeing her love for something made him happy. Those days -where Paige thought he hung the moon- were long past, replaced by the wary regard they had for one another now.

Maybe one day they could meed in the middle, get back what they once had. It was nice to hope.

"How does that feel?"

"Better. Thanks, Dad."

"How about we make an appointment for a massage tomorrow after service? You and your mother could make a day of it."

Paige knew he was calming the waters, trying to get them back on an even keel after all the drama of the past couple of weeks. Part of her wanted to dig in her heels, just for spite, but her better sense ran out. She already had a war to fight.

"That sounds great, Dad."

"Good. I'll get your mother to arrange everything. You'll have fun. What are your plans for today?"

"I might call Pru, maybe go for a bike ride. I'm not sure yet."

He nodded, uncommonly satisfied with the vague answer. "Just be careful, make sure to take your cellphone with you in case of an emergency."

"I will, Dad."

He headed back in the house, leaving Paige to soak. Her clothes were piled up behind her, the mound of sweats making a comfortable pillow as she leaned her head back. Her eyes were closed, body just on the cusp of a light doze when her phone buzzed in her pocket, jolting her into wakefulness.

**You didn't kiss and tell. But I might. -A**

Paige dropped her head back against the edge of the tub with a muted thud, suddenly weary. Figured.

She waited, assuming some instructions or a qualifier to the threat would follow. When nothing presented itself, she tossed the phone back onto her clothes. 'A' would tell or they wouldn't. Thus far, Paige was batting a poor average at complying with 'A's requests and her secret was still under wraps.

'A' only held power so long as they kept their mouths shut. The threat of being exposed was their greatest leverage over Paige. If she were outed, they would have little to manipulate her with. While Paige certainly didn't have the upper hand, she wasn't without inherent protection. She just had to play along long enough to keep 'A' quiet, give herself time to figure out who the hell was pulling her strings.

Paige pulled herself out of the hot tub and headed into a quick shower., rinsing the chlorine from her body and making her hair somewhat manageable. Her phone was flashing by the time she was dressed. She picked it up without bothering to look at the number, curious what ridiculous task 'A' would try to set her on this time.

** Hanging out with Aria this morning, want to get together later?-Em**

Paige knew she was grinning stupidly but couldn't find the ability or the desire to suppress it. Maybe last night wasn't a one off. Maybe there was something between them. She wanted there to be. She needed to keep it out of sight, protect them until they were on more stable ground. She had failed so far but maybe if she were more careful, she could make it work.

**Feel like a picnic?-Paige**

** You're on. Want me to pick you up?-Emily**

Paige considered it for a moment, quickly tossing the idea out. Not only would her father freak, 'A' would have a field day.

** Nah. Meet me in the park, bring your bike!-Paige**

** You and your bike, McCullers. What time?-Emily**

Paige checked her watch, she needed some time to organize and get ahold of Pru to cover for her.

**One?-Paige**

** See you then.-Emily**

** Bring muffins! -Paige**

Paige called Pru, waiting patiently for the other girl to pick up. It was before noon on a Saturday, it would be hit and miss whether she would actually get her friend real time.

A groggy Pru answered on the fifth ring. "H'lo?"

"Hey, it's me."

"Paige? What times is it?" Some shuffling across the line spoke of Pru reaching for her alarm clock.

"Almost ten. Listen, I need a favour." Paige spoke quickly, hoping to head off Pru's usual nagging about calling early.

"After waking me up at the crack of dawn?! You've got to be kidding."

Paige waited out the snarky comment, graciously neglecting to point out that the sun had been shining for the better part of three hours. Pru was reliably cranky first thing in the morning. The heavy sigh at the other end of the line let Paige know that Pru would likely give in, even if she wasn't happy about it.

"What do you want?"

"I need an alibi. If anyone asks, we went bike riding today," Paige said, collecting the remnants of her allowance before she pulled her bicycle bag out of the closet.

Pru's voice perked up, the astute girl sensing mystery afoot. "Either you're planning to finally finish off Hastings or you're going to meet the mystery man."

Paige remained silent.

"C'mon, Paige. Give me something. Who is it?"

Paige didn't want to lie but she wasn't ready to have this conversation either. Not over the phone with Pru still half asleep. She was slightly surprised to realize that -though the timing was off- she did want to tell Pru. She wanted support, like Emily had. It also wasn't a bad idea to do a trial run before breaking the news to her parents.

"I can't tell you yet but... I promise I will."

"Soon."

"Soon." Paige agreed, promising herself as much as Pru.

"Fine. Go meet Mr. Mystery."

"Thanks, Pru. I owe you one."

"Yes, you do. Remember that next time I need someone to do my homework for me."

They said their goodbyes and Paige sat to finish her own homework. When she had slogged through the worst of it, chemistry formulas permanently imprinted on her retinas, it was nearly time to go. A quick change from sweatpants into her most comfortable pair of jean capris and a knit sweater had Paige on her way.

"Off and running?" Her mother greeted as she walked from the kitchen. The delicious smells of her weekly meals for the church soup kitchen wafted to Paige.

"Yep, just going for a bike ride with Pru." Paige almost felt bad for the lie. Almost.

"Good, you should get out of the house while the weather is still reasonable," her mother agreed. "Do you really need your bike bag though?"

"Need something for lunch and snacks, Pru won't remember. Where's Dad?"

"In his office with the Bishop, they're going over the church budget. Again. C'mon, let me load you up." Her mother had made fresh breads and baked goods, having the entire Saturday ritual down to a science. A member of the church would pick it up in time to bring the meals for supper. Her mother always cooked far more than necessary to send Rosewood's less fortunate home with something for later. A quick ten minutes of work saw Paige laden with sandwiches, a fruit salad, a variety of snacks and drinks all packed with an efficiency she couldn't have hoped to copy. It had to be a mom thing.

She was sent on her way, her spoils tucked away in a proper picnic basket which she tied to the back of her bike. She obligingly pulled her helmet onto her head and pedaled down the driveway to park, heading for the entrance on Emily's side. Her teammate had already arrived, settled atop a bike that looked like it had seen better days.

"Hey!"

"Hey!"

"I come bearing cupcakes." Emily held up her satchel. "We were all out of muffins. Forgive me?"

"Well I suppose it'll have to do." Paige nudged her teammate with her shoulder. "My mom packed enough to feed the whole team. Do you have anywhere you like to ride?"

"I don't get around on my bike a lot anymore now that I've got the car. You probably know the goods spots better than I would."

"Hmm, neither of us is dressed for a hard ride." Paige looked across the park, trying to figure out what the least strenuous but most picturesque path would be. "There are some nice trails back there. That one will take us to the edge of town. It's a really easy incline and once you're at the top, you can see the whole town."

Not only was the area pretty but secluded as well, it would take a lot for anyone to sneak up on them. Even particularly crafty letters of the alphabet.

"Sounds good to me, lead on."

They pedaled through the park, the cedar path that crunched beneath their tires eventually giving way to leaf covered dirt ruts. It didn't take more than twenty minutes of easy riding, Paige in the lead, for them to make it to the top of the small valley Rosewood lay in.

It was a relatively isolated spot, the small, flat patch of cleared area overlooking the main park and the rest of Rosewood. Paige had spent more hours than she could remember up here, reading, listening to music, just being away from the constant anxiety that came part and parcel with being Paige McCullers. When she had been at her worst, dark thoughts threatening to consume her, this was where she had come to ground herself. To remind herself that Rosewood was one small piece of an unimaginably large world and Ali merely a bit actor in the play that was her life.

Pushing aside the morose thought, Paige hopped off her bike and set the kickstand in place. Emily did the same, hanging her helmet off the handlebar as she took in the view.

"This is awesome." Emily followed Paige as she headed to the edge of the small bluff.

"Careful, the edge isn't that..."

Emily slipped, her foot sliding on the loose soil. Paige instinctively reached out, digging in her heels as she grabbed hold of Emily's hand to haul her back from the ledge.

"Stable," Paige finished, giving little tug to pull her teammate to a safer area. Emily stepped back but didn't let go of Paige's hand, threading their fingers together. Emily leaned into her, back against Paige's front, as they looked out over the small but bustling town. Paige was too terrified to breathe, worried that any movement would break the moment.

"You can breathe you know," Emily joked some moments later, reaching back to poke Paige in the side.

"I know, I just..." Paige paused, unsure how to convey how right this felt. How she had never been more comfortable in her own skin than when she was standing with Emily. "I've never... this is just really... cool."

Emily turned, dropping a chaste kiss on Paige's cheek. "Yeah, it is. Isn't it?" The charming grin from her teammate bolstered her confidence, she was glad that she wasn't alone in her attraction. Paige locked her arms around Emily's waist, smiling at her teammate as they enjoyed the comfortable moment. "Hungry?"

"Starved. I skipped breakfast and then you made me cycle all over half of Rosewood."

Paige laughed at the exaggeration, reluctantly releasing Emily to head back to the bikes. Emily didn't let go of her hand, the soft contact making Paige near giddy. When they returned to their bikes, Emily let go, helping Paige pull out the veritable feast her mother had sent.. They laid it out on a large, plaid picnic blanket, Emily pulling out a small portable radio and propping it against the tree behind them.

"I totally call dibs on that cupcake," Paige said, pointing to the abnormally icing laden desert.

"I'd try one before I make that call. My mom used a new recipe."

"Yeah?" Paige picked up the mystery desert, tempted to sniff but figuring that bordered on the edge of poor manners. "What flavour?"

"Coconut."

"Coconut? That's...new."

"That's one way to put it. What've you got?"

Paige motioned to the variety of sandwiches, veggies, fruits and cider, eyes widening at what her mother had managed to pack into her bag. "My mom would kick ass at Tetris," Paige said, pulling out a set of plastic cups.

"Geeze, did you tell her you were going out with the whole team?"

"Nah, Mom knows how hard my diet is on me. She usually sneaks me food if she thinks she can get it past my dad," Paige explained. The look from Emily said she found this an odd practice but Paige sloughed it off as business as usual. "Chicken or roast beef?"

"Beef."

Paige handed over the sandwich, reclining against the tree, legs extended, Emily beside her. They were near enough that their legs touched, Paige smiling shyly at the easy companionship. The silence between them lengthened, not to uncomfortable proportions, but enough that Paige figured it was time to jump start a conversation before it got awkward. She struggled for something to say knowing it probably wasn't Emily's most exciting date.

"Favourite swimmer." Paige finally said, hoping conversation about something they had in common would lead them into a more natural flow.

"Pssh, easy. Micheal Phelps."

Paige rolled her eyes at the all too common answer.

"What's wrong with Micheal Phelps?"

"Nothing, he's just the typical poster boy is all. Even non swimmers know who he is."

"All right, Miss Snobby, who's your pick?"

"Jennifer Abel."

"Isn't she a diver?"

"Yeah."

"That doesn't count."

"What? Of course it counts." Paige argued. "It's in the water, it counts."

"Oh, so you would have accepted a water polo player for my answer?"

Paige reached down, grabbing her dibbed cupcake and holding it out to her teammate. "I bet you a cupcake that you can't even name a water polo player, Fields."

"They're my cupcakes!"

"So you concede?"

Emily kicked her foot, lips pursed comically. "Fine, favourite university team?"

"Danby if we're talking swimming. UC Berkeley if we're talking field hockey. I'd really like to get in there."

"You'd move all the way to San Francisco?"

"In a heartbeat," Paige replied, not even giving the thought a second consideration. A giant city, far from her father, where she could be herself. It sounded like heaven. "You?"

"Definitely Danby. I've thought about NYU too, maybe Penn State. San Francisco sounds fun but I don't know if I could be that far from my family."

Paige was once again struck by the differences in their lives. While Emily obviously felt safety in her family, Paige felt only the ticking of a clock, counting down to the moment she came out and her world blew up.

Emily folded the remnants of her sandwich wrapper, tossing it into their makeshift garbage. Paige did the same, sliding down from her seated position to stretch out on the blanket. Emily mirrored her, lean hands playing with Paige's fingers as they lay sprawled on the ground.

"Favourite movie?"

"Rudy."

Paige raised an eyebrow. "The story about a short guy realizing his dreams? Are you sure that's not Aria's favourite?"

Emily's light laughter was simultaneous with the sharp pinch she delivered to Paige's side. "The appropriate term is 'vertically challenged'," Emily corrected, looking at Paige expectantly.

"Oh, mine. Um... The Last Unicorn."

"What?!" This round of laughter was more boisterous than the first, Emily's body shaking as she fought to control herself.

"Hey, I didn't make fun of yours."

"Yes, you did." Emily rolled over to poke her and Paige grabbed her hand, determined to keep from being prodded. Emily wormed her way free to poke her in the side, laughing heartily as Paige let out unfortunate squeak. Had it been anyone else, she would have fought to the bitter end to prove her point. As it was, Paige was content to wrestle playfully with her teammate, pointedly shutting down the competitive voice that urged her to dominate just for dominance sake.

Her reward for her good judgment was a kiss, Emily leaning over Paige, partially propped up on her elbows as their lips touched. Paige gladly gave up the fight, releasing tanned wrists to put her hands to better use, resting them on Emily's shoulders. She wished for the courage to be more adventurous but settled instead for concentrating on the oddly pleasant sensation of having Emily's weight resting on her.

She had no idea how long had passed when Emily slowly began to pull away, every part of Paige's body on fire. Emily did her best to push Paige's recalcitrant bangs into order, finally giving it up as a lost cause. Brain more or less shut down from the hottest moment of her life, Paige lay there, happy to simply exist in Emily's space as the girl played with her hair.

"Favourite song?" Emily asked with a teasing smirk, fingers tracing some unknown pattern across Paige's arm.

"Huh...song?" Paige blinked stupidly as Emily rolled off her with a laugh, hand still clasped with hers. "Hey, did you kiss me just to throw me off my game, Fields?"

"I'll never tell," Emily answered, her smug smile betraying what her words didn't.

"Uh huh, right. So, favourite song, hmm..."

They went through their game for nearly an hour, their answers derailing the simple conversation more than once to lead them into a fit of giggles. The gentle wind blew rust coloured leaves around them as the radio played quietly in the background.

"I love this band."

"Me too."

"They're playing in the city next month, we should go and see them."

Paige's stomach tightened at the offer, knowing that as much as she wanted to, it wasn't possible. Not yet.

"I'd like to but you know..."

"What?"

Oh, nothing. I just have a psychopathic stalker who'll make both our lives a living hell if they figure out we're together. Paige wished she could tell Emily the truth, that it wasn't just fear of her father that kept her hidden. But she couldn't take that risk. Couldn't put Emily in danger. She had no choice.

"We might see people we know there. I can't risk being seen with you."

Emily let go of her hand, sitting up. Paige sat up beside her, knowing the way she had said it had come out wrong. As usual.

"I thought you understood." It wasn't news to Emily that she was closeted, surely she hadn't expected full disclosure right out of the gate. Paige just needed time.

"I so understand. Believe me, I do. But hearing you say that? Ouch."

"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I had an amazing time last night and I would really like to keep seeing you."

"Like this? Always out in the middle of nowhere? Hiding?"

"It's the only way I can do it." Paige wanted to add the words 'right now' but couldn't find I in hear to speak them. Truth be told, she had no idea how long 'A' planned to bat her around like a plaything. Until Paige could be certain that coming out wouldn't do more harm than good, her hands were tied.

"I'm not ashamed of who I am but I used to be. And if we have to hide like this all the time, I'm going to start feeling like that again."

Paige ducked her head at the quiet admission. The last thing she wanted was to hurt Emily, to let her own fear do damage to one of the people she cared about most.

"I really like you, Emily." The words were honest but they rang hollow in her ears. It didn't matter how much she liked Emily if she weren't brave enough to take the consequences that came with it.

"I like you to and I'll always be here for you but I think it has to be as friends. Sorry."

Paige pursed her lips, the angry teenager in her wanting to lash out at the rejection. Instead, she looked away, heels shifting restlessly in the loose earth. That was it then. 'A' hadn't even needed to act and they had effectively shut down her relationship with Emily.

They sat that way, in awkward silence, until Paige's phone rang. She let out a heavy sigh, shaking her head at the number that popped up before she hit the 'accept' button.

"Hey, Dad."

"Almost done with your ride? The McNabs are coming over for supper."

"Yeah, we're just about to head back. I shouldn't be more than half an hour," Paige answered, pathetically grateful to have a gracious way to bow out of the date gone awry.

"Good, see you then."

"I guess we should get going," Emily said as Paige disconnected the call.

"Yeah, apparently I get the pleasure of having McNab over for dinner." Paige couldn't help the eye roll, Emily nodding in understanding. The notorious daddy's girl was particularly annoying. They cleaned up the picnic in silence, Paige loading the remnants onto her bike and leading the way back to the lower park. Her phone beeped out a message and she pulled it from the pocket of her cardigan as she pedaled, eyes narrowed at the blocked number.

**Didn't even have to fire a shot, you sunk your own battleship! Kisses! -A**

Paige pursed her lips, unable to argue the point even in her own mind. She really hated that bitch.

Tbc.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimers:** We've done this for awhile, we all know I don't own them.

**Author's Note: **This chapter contains spoilers for Season 1, Episode 19, 'A Person of Interest'.

Please remember to tip your bards. If you take the time to read, do your authors a solid and take the extra second to review.

As always, comments and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated. Enjoy!

**888**

Paige rolled to a stop in the park proper, sitting atop her bike as Emily pulled up beside her. Given the circumstances, she had no idea how to end the day. Emily seemed equally at a loss, lips pursed as they stood there in silence, eyes finding everything but each other.

"I should get going," Paige finally said, breaking the awkward tableau. "Wouldn't want to be late for dinner," this was said with an unenthusiastic eyeroll.

"Yeah," Emily nodded. "Listen, Paige... I meant what I said. I want us to be friends, I care about you too. And I know how hard this can be."

Paige wasn't sure that she had any idea what it was like. Emily wasn't the one hiding from her damn cellphone. "It's fine, Emily. I get it." Paige didn't have it in her to dissect the issue right now. Emily had pulled the pin on their relationship, there was nothing really left to say. "I'll see you Monday." Paige put foot to pedal, leaving a sullen and silent Emily in her wake.

**888**

The weekend passed quickly, Paige throwing herself into her studies and practice to keep her mind off obsessing over what had happened with Emily. Monday morning came quickly enough and Paige rose at her usual time, determined to keep her routine as normal as possible. The last time she and Emily had shared an awkward moment, she had gone through a lot of trouble to avoid her teammate. This time around, she was determined to stick it out.

Her cowardice had already cost her a potential relationship with Emily, she wouldn't allow it to destroy their tentative friendship as well. Paige walked into the locker room, Emily already seated on the bench, rifling through her gear.

"Hey."

"Hey."

Paige shifted in place, Emily looking as uncomfortable as she felt. Maybe she hadn't thought this out properly. Maybe a couple of days of avoidance wouldn't hurt.

"Are we... are we..?" Emily struggled, dark eyes asking Paige for help.

"We're good," Paige assured, heading the conversation off before it became even more stilted. Paige knew what she had done and accepted that her terms hadn't worked for Emily. As much as the rejection stung, she understood. Emily deserved someone brave, like her. So far, Paige hadn't proved that bravery and she refused to make the other girl feel bad about making a decision to protect herself. "You don't have anything to apologize for." Paige gave a quick check of the locker room before she reached over, giving Emily's hand a squeeze. "I get it. Really."

With that, Paige headed out to the pool, foregoing the lanes for the diving boards. While she understood Emily's rejection, her ego was still smarting and -as much as she liked the girl- she didn't feel terribly social. Paige climbed up to the three metre board, taking a deep breath of chlorine scented air. The familiar smell brought a wave of calm with it and she stood on the board, toes just over the edge. A quick, decisive bounce and she was somersaulting in mid air, landing with a moderate splash, hands clearing the path for her body.

Bolstered by the competent dive, Paige headed back up the ladder, powering through four more dives. She kept an eye out for Emily, the girl swimming lazy laps at the far lane, evidently understanding Paige's desire for privacy. The team eventually began to filter in and practice began in earnest, the aggressive physical training leaving Paige no time to contemplate anything other than putting one hand after the other.

Paige made quick work of her post practice shower, dried and changed by the time Emily had made it over to the lockers.

"See you in class?" Emily asked, the question cautious.

"Yep." Paige checked her watch, Coach had gone longer than normal. "You'd better hurry."

"I know. I'm not going to have time to grab coffee at this rate," her teammate said with a grimace. "Although chem is probably more interesting when I'm asleep." Emily offered Paige a lopsided smile, the one that left her weak kneed, before tugging her clothes out of her locker. Will power tested to capacity as Emily tugged her towel from her body, Paige offered a goodbye and headed out before she let herself do something foolish.

Pru met her at her locker, her gaze predatory as she zeroed in on Paige. "You, McCullers. You got some 'splainin' to do. Two text messages does not a conversation make. You have to tell me everything."

Paige laughed at her friend's dogged need to dig for gossip about her love life. "Jesus, Pru, at least let me get caffeinated first."

"Fine but come lunch time you're giving up all your secrets."

"Heh." Not likely. Paige headed for the coffee vendor, ordering two and handing one to Pru. She had her wallet out when a thought struck her and she ordered a third, accepting it with thanks.

"Who's that for? The new beau?"

Paige rolled her eyes, trying to fend off the blush she could feel creeping up her neck. "No."

They walked into class just as the bell rang, Emily and her group already seated, the darker girl eyeing Hastings' coffee longingly. Paige put the extra coffee on Emily's desk, smirking at the grateful smile she received in return. Her stomach did a small flip at the smile. As much as Paige said she was okay with 'friends', her heart knew differently. One smile from the girl in front of her and Paige felt willing to take on the world, if only to keep Emily looking at her that way.

"If I have to suffer through this lecture awake, so do you, Fields," Paige teased, not waiting for a reply as she walked to her desk. Pru sat beside her, confusion evident. Paige ignored it, attention focused on Emily who turned to mouth 'thank you'. Paige smiled, throwing Hastings her customary glare when Emily turned around.

Friends. She could do friends. And maybe one day, soon, when Paige finally screwed her courage to the sticking place, they could be more.

**888**

Paige showed up to the school gym at her usual hour, slightly disappointed but not surprised to find it empty. Sean was a good looking guy, no doubt one of the other girls running around Rosewood High was commanding his attention. She didn't particularly mind losing his companionship, Paige was just irritated that she hadn't learned enough on Friday to do any meaningful training on her own. Shrugging it off, she hopped on the treadmill, taking the speed up a notch as she pounded out her requisite three miles.

She had just completed mile two when Sean appeared, breathing heavily, red face making him look as though he had just sprinted the length of the school. Paige tugged out her earbuds, pushing 'pause' on her mental rewatch of her date with Emily, minus the last twenty minutes.

"Hey, sorry. Coach kept us forever at a team meeting."

"No worries, I got in a decent run while I waited."

Sean dropped his gear bag on the floor and Paige obligingly hopped off the treadmill. The punching bag was sufficient enough cardio that she didn't feel bad for skipping the last mile.

"Uh, here." Sean held out an unfamiliar set of gloves. "These are mine from junior high, they should fit you a little better than the ones you used on Friday."

Paige slipped the gloves on with thanks, nodding at the more appropriate fit. Sean geared herself up, taking a few minutes to warm up on the speed bag before they began their lesson. Paige was a reasonably quick study, getting hold of the basics to the point that she felt comfortable practising on her own. Her shoulders were sore by the end of it, her muscles refusing to keep her hands in place.

"How do you feel?"

Paige took stock of herself, mind abnormally calm now that her body was completely exhausted. "I feel great."

"Don't sound so surprised." Sean smiled at her, his boyish grin enhancing an already handsome face. Paige could see what Hannah saw in him. He was friendly and patient, both qualities she had long ago stopped associating with men in general. "You hang out with Pru, right?"

"I do indeed."

"Thought so. She's dating my friend Ben."

Paige fought the urge to frown at the mention of Pru's boyfriend du jour. She wasn't sure what it was but something about Ben rubbed her the wrong way. Even when he had dated Emily, there had been a strange look in his eyes that bordered on unsettling. Paige did her best to ignore him, largely because Pru rarely let the dust settle on a new relationship before she was moving on to the next one.

"Hey, maybe we could all eat together tomorrow before we come workout?"

Paige felt herself freeze, the tentative offer sounding suspiciously like a lead in to a date. She had enough to worry about with 'A', her parents and keeping her friendship with Emily on an even keel.

Sean must have sensed her hesitation, immediately back pedaling. "I'm sorry, that was presumptuous. Did you want to train tomorrow? I thought I could show you a few clips of boxing matches, we could talk about technique."

Paige's body relaxed at the simple explanation. Jock talk she could handle. "Yeah, that sounds great." Paige held out her boxing gloves, Sean waving her off.

"Keep them." He held up a thick hand next to the small glove. "I'll never fit into them again."

"Thanks." Her watch beeped out her ten minute warning and Paige stood. "I'll see you tomorrow at lunch."

"Okay." Sean grinned at her, waving goodbye as Paige headed for the door. Showered and changed quickly, she slipped into her warmups, tugging her hair into a ponytail. Her morning outfit was shoved into her backpack, Paige shaking her head as she did so. She spent most of her day in jockwear, it was a waste to be constantly changing in and out of her good clothes. If it weren't for knowing the information would manage to get back to her dad, she'd spend the entire day in comfortable warmups rather than more 'appropriate' clothing.

Paige's last class passed without incident leading into her usual evening practice. She did her best to ignore the sharp pain of longing that struck at her when she saw Emily at the lockers, pushing down on the desire to spill her guts. She wouldn't -couldn't- bring Emily into the 'A' game. It would be selfish of her to try. It was better for Paige to distance herself until everything around her had calmed down. She needed a way to calm the waters quickly and thus far, only one plan came to mind.

"Hey." Emily greeted as Paige dumped her overladen bag onto the locker room bench. "Thanks for the drink this morning, it probably saved Spencer's life."

Paige raised an eyebrow at the odd comment, her question evident.

"I was about two seconds away from dive tackling her to get her coffee."

"There's a fight I would have paid to see." Paige stripped out of her warmups, her bathing suit already on from her clothing change after her lunch workout. She wrapped her towel around her waist and started for the natatorium, Emily close on her heels. A group of freshmen were already playing tag in the water while they waited for practice to begin.

"You don't think I could take Spencer?"

"Em, I've seen the way Hastings works a hockey stick. I wouldn't put money on you unless you had a knife. Even then it'd be even odds." Paige smirked at the disgruntled frown her teammate threw her way, tossing her towel on to the bleachers.

"Hey guys," Emily called out to the teammates in the pool. "Paige is 'it'."

"Huh? Whoa!" Paige barely had time to put her hands out in a meagre and ultimately ineffective defence as Emily charged her, launching them both into the pool. She surfaced with an undignified sputter, glaring at her chuckling teammate through a wall of auburn hair.

"Even odds my ass." Emily's decisive kick pushed her out of Paige's range as she looked for someone to tag. "Told you I'd get you back for karaoke."

"Oh, it's on Fields."

She didn't manage to tag Emily before the game ended, instead choosing to hunt down one of the weaker freshmen. They spent the hour swimming timed laps, Emily and Paige dogging each other for the anchor position. Paige's work on her flip turn paid off and she managed to best her teammate by a split second on their last run through.

Emily bobbed beside her as Coach Fulton and her assistant tallied their times. "Wow, that was awesome."

"Thanks, I've been doing some extra work."

"It shows," Emily said, eyes widening when Paige tilted her head curiously at the comment. "I meant in the water, it shows in the water."

"It's okay, Em." Paige laughed at Emily's uncommon awkwardness. "I get it." Hauling herself out of the pool, she walked over to her towel, tossing Emily's to her. The others were already on their way into the locker room as Paige towelled herself dry, waiting for Coach Fulton's debrief. She waved goodbye to Emily as she passed before turning her attention to the coach. "How'd we look today?"

"Pretty darn good. We still have work to do but everyone is coming along nicely. I like the way the J.V. line is shaping up and with you and Emily, we've got a good shot at the state championships."

"You really think so?" Rosewood hadn't been competitive at a state level in a while, the team was usually content to simply make the competition.

"I do and you know the scouts will be there pegging their favourites. I don't want to put pressure on you, Paige. I don't know what your plans for university are but if you keep developing at this rate, you'll have your choice of schools."

"That's what I want, Coach. Options." If things went wrong with her parents, having a scholarship to a good school would give her a shot at a decent future, even if her family wasn't in it. It hurt Paige to think of planning for that eventuality but if living with her father had taught her anything, it was to always be prepared.

"Good. I'll do my best to help that happen. You've got anchor this week, if your shoulder is feeling up to it. You've dealt well with this team before."

"Thanks, Coach. We'll get it done."

"Good, I'll see you tomorrow."

Taking the words as dismissal, Paige headed for the locker room. The humid warmth of the change room hit her like a wall, the floor suddenly seeming to tilt on her. She used the bank of lockers to steady herself as she waited for the wave of dizziness to pass.

"Hey, you okay?" Emily asked, grabbing Paige's arm to help her to the bench. "You look pale."

"Yeah, I just didn't get enough to eat at lunch," Paige said, pegging her small salad and missed protein shake as the cause of the lull. "It happens sometimes." Paige was long accustomed to the sudden lows. Her calorie intake was usually spot on with her activity level but switching up her lunch workout and stacking her weekends with extra lessons had thrown her out of balance. "I'll just grab something from my locker, I should still have a protein bar in there."

Emily reached into the depths of her bag, triumphantly pulling out a woefully smooshed cupcake in a plastic baggie. "I guarantee cupcake quality wasn't sacrificed during transport."

Paige hesitated, feeling a little awkward with the idea of letting Emily help. They weren't dating, obviously. But Emily also hadn't shown this much interest in her before their recent... interactions. It was disconcerting and it wasn't doing much for Paige's pledge to distance herself.

"McCullers, if you don't take the damn cupcake, I'm going to force feed you." Emily held out the food expectantly and Paige took it, letting decorum slide in favour of not passing out. She felt better the moment the sugar hit her system, her impending headache holding off.

"Thanks."

"Better?"

"Much." Paige stood slowly, collecting her gear. Emily followed her out, both girls waving to Coach Fulton as they passed her in the hall. Paige didn't miss the way Emily stayed close, seemingly concerned she was going to pass out on her.

"Are you sure you can ride? I'll give you a lift home."

"Nah, I won't have any way to get in tomorrow." Paige waved off the offer.

"I'll pick you up, we get here at the same time anyway."

"Em, I'm fine."

Emily crossed her arms, standing her ground. "Paige, you're not. Your hands are shaking. Come on, it's Rosewood, your precious bike'll be fine overnight."

"You're not going to take no for an answer, are you?" Paige asked tiredly, not really having it in her to fight her teammate. The unusually firm set of Emily's mouth was answer enough. "All right, geeze. Maybe I would bet on you in a fight, you've got a stubborn streak in you."

"If that's not the pot calling the kettle black..." Emily muttered as they headed for her car.

"Hey, stubborn isn't something I've ever denied," Paige countered as they slid into their seats. They spent the remainder of the relatively short car ride talking about their respective classes. When they turned on to Paige's street, Emily pulled to the curb, parking the car half a block before Paige's home. She looked at Emily quizzically.

"I don't want your Dad bugging you about... about being friends with me."

Paige felt a piece of her heart break at Emily's quiet words, momentarily overwhelmed by the unending empathy of the girl beside her. Paige had denied her and still Emily tried to protect her, to shield their friendship from a man who couldn't understand. Paige reached out, resting her hand on Emily's, hoping her touch would provide some meagre measure of comfort. She knew, deep in the pit of her soul, that this moment could make or break their future.

"I can't be what you need me to be, not yet," Paige admitted. "But I'm not ashamed of our friendship and I won't let my dad take that away from either of us."

Emily's fingers tightened around hers, the gratitude in dark eyes giving Paige hope for the future.

"Now, I believe you offered me door to door service, Fields. Giddy up."

A final squeeze of lean fingers and the car was back in gear, Emily rolling to an easy stop in front of Paige's house.

"Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow. I'll buy the coffee," Paige promised.

"I'm all out of cupcakes."

"That's probably a good thing, another one of those and the team can use me as a buoy. See you tomorrow, Em."

Paige closed the door, tapping the roof of the car to let Emily know she was in the clear. The well loved Toyota pulled away from the curb leaving Paige to walk up her driveway. She frowned at the presence of her father's car. Though what she had told Emily was true, she really didn't have it in her to fight right now. She just wanted a simple meal and good night's sleep.

Supper was just about on the table, her mother bustling somewhere in the kitchen while her father worked his way through the newspaper.

"Hey, I'm home," Paige called out, unslinging her backpack and stuffed it in its usual spot before she took her seat.

"Hi, honey. How was practice?" Her mother came out carrying a plate of chicken breasts, setting them on the table before leaning down to kiss Paige on the head.

"It was awesome. The team's really starting to gel." It was true, team cohesion was at its peak so far this year. Paige knew that part of it was her more relaxed approach but the thawing in her relationship with Emily played a large role as well. Her teammates were no longer forced to sit in one camp or the other, siding with either the friendly, approachable Emily or the goal driven Paige. Their growing friendship had allowed the rest of their teammates to associate across party lines. It could only get better.

"How's anchor looking this week?"

"Great. I stacked up well against their anchor last time so Coach Fulton is putting me in."

"Good," her father nodded, satisfaction evident as he loaded his plate. "You didn't ride your bike home?"

"I wasn't feeling great after practice, Emily gave me a ride from school."

Her father pursed his lips. His expression said he wasn't happy about the news and he had something to say about it. He turned to her mother first, a silent conversation passed between them. When they looked away from each other, her father remained silent though not without a heavy sigh.

"Are you okay?" her mother asked. "There's a nasty flu going around."

"I'm fine, just low blood sugar. I worked out a little harder than normal after lunch."

"More running?" her father asked. "You have to be careful, you can't get much leaner without sacrificing performance."

"Not running, Dad. Boxing. One of the guys at school is teaching me."

"Boxing? I don't think that's a good idea."

"I'm not getting hit, Dad. Sean's just showing me how to use the punching bag. It's good for my shoulders."

They stared at one another, her father expecting her to give in easily and Paige determined to dig in her heels. She needed to know she could stand up to him, even if it was about something small.

"Sean? I don't think we've heard about him," her mother broke in, obviously trying to end the stalemate between them. Bowing to her mother's good nature, Paige broke eye contact with her father.

"Sean Ackard, I met him at the gym on Friday."

"The minister's son?" Her father's steely gaze softened, jaw loosening at the news. Paige fought the urge to roll her eyes. She wasn't above milking Sean's parentage if it meant she was able to keep training with him. Paige knew how to play the game, moving her chess pieces around the board with ease. She was her father's daughter.

"Yes, his mom's a dentist." At least that's what Paige thought she had overheard from Hannah. Her father seemed to take it into consideration, taking a moment for another silent consultation with her mother before he nodded.

"I want you to monitor your workouts closely. I don't want you passing out in the pool."

"I will," Paige assured.

"Ask your mother to take you to the health store tomorrow and find a better protein drink. You'll need the extra calories."

Paige looked to her mother who seemed excited at the prospect of spending some time out with her. "How about I make an appointment with Rebecca?"

"Good idea." Rebecca, Rosewood's resident sports nutritionist, had designed Paige's diet in the first place. She would be the best one to tweak it to account for the extra training.

The meal was the most animated they'd had in weeks, her mother offering up an amusing office story that had even the stoic Nick McCullers in stitches. Glad for the calm evening, Paige headed downstairs after dinner, plopping herself on the couch in front of the big screen TV, too tired to attempt anything else.

**888**

Paige woke a few minutes before her usual time, tugging on her normal outfit but taking an extra minute to run a brush through her hair to tame it. She tugged it into a neat ponytail rather than the loose mess she usually showed up to practice with, her chosen track suit the one with the least wear on it. She looked in the mirror, testing her smile in the reflection.

"You're an idiot, McCullers. Get moving." Bag packed, she headed upstairs to find her mom already in the kitchen, oatmeal brewing.

"Good morning, Honey."

Paige kissed her mom's cheek as she passed on the way to the fridge. "Morning, Mom."

"You look nice today."

Paige fought the blush that crept up, shoving her head in the fridge to look for her smoothie. "I'm wearing the same thing I wear every morning."

Her mother tugged gently on her groomed ponytail to let her know she wasn't getting away with anything but didn't comment further. Paige decided to eat at the kitchen counter, watching her mother cook breakfast for herself and her father.

"Do you want a ride today?"

"No, thanks. Emily should be here to pick me up soon." As if on cue, Paige's phone buzzed, Emily giving her a five minute warning.

"She's... she's a nice girl. I'm glad you two are getting along better."

"I don't think Dad is." Paige finished off her oatmeal, tossing her bowl into the dishwasher and grabbed her lunch from the fridge. Her mother must have sensed something troubled in her tone. She left the stove to wrap an arm across Paige's shoulder, pulling her in tightly.

"Believe it or not, your father's not always right," her mother said quietly, pressing a quick kiss to Paige's temple before returning to her cooking. "You'd better get going. Emily should be just about here."

Paige headed out of the kitchen, pausing to turn back. "Thank, Mom." A smile, a wave and she was out the door calling "bye, Dad!" up the stairs as she passed. Emily pulled up just as Paige closed the door, the early morning fog rolling across bright headlights. She slipped into the warmth of the car letting out a shiver a the change in temperature.

"It's freaking cold out there," Paige greeted, somewhat taken aback by her near instinctive urge to lean over and kiss Emily 'good morning'. She reigned the emotion in, knowing it veered far out of 'friend' territory.

"I know, I actually had to defrost the windshield."

"Yikes."

"Coffee?"

"Coffee." They spent the drive in easy silence, Paige enjoying the quiet start to her morning as Emily capably navigated the deserted streets of Rosewood. Emily pulled up outside the Brew, preparing to get out. "I got it. No sense in both of us freezing to death."

Paige hopped out before Emily could argue, grabbing their coffee to go. When she got back into the car, Emily had a brown bag out, looking down dubiously at the contents.

"Promise not to laugh?" Emily asked as she shook the bag.

"Laugh about what?"

Emily pulled out a muffin. At least, Paige thought it was a muffin. There was no real muffin top to speak of. Emily handed it over, the small, flat treat unexpectedly heavy in Paige's hand.

"You baked?"

"I tried."

"But you baked. For me?"

"Well, I didn't want you passing out in the middle of practice. You kind of scared me yesterday." The admission was a quiet one. Emily was more nervous than Paige had ever seen her, waiting expectantly for Paige to eat..

Touched by the unexpected gesture and determined to be a good sport about it, Paige broke off a piece and popped it into her mouth. It was about what Paige expected, the dense texture at once dry and yet somehow chewy. The bottom was burnt, the char evident in the faint aftertaste that was decidedly...distinct.

"Are they okay?" Emily's earnest expression couldn't lend itself to any other answer.

"Delicious." Paige asserted, gamely reaching in for seconds.

Tbc...


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer**: I don't own'em. Quelle surprise.

**Author's Notes:** For those asking, yes, I am the uber geek whose Twitter comment apparently turned Paige into Rosewood's Batman. I regret nothing. :)

This chapter contains spoilers for Season 1, Episode 20, "Someone to Watch Over Me".

Don't forget to tip your bards. If you take the time to read, do us authors a solid and take the extra second to review.

Thank you everyone for the fave/follows and reviews. As an author, it's great to see that a story is well received.

Enjoy!

**888**

Paige slid out of Algebra with a quick wave to Emily and headed for her locker, her morning snack a distant dream as her stomach demanded lunch. A quick switch of books for a lunch bag and she closed her locker, startled to find Sean behind the door, ginning at her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to sneak up on you."

"No. I…uh." Paige shook her head. "I'm jumpy lately is all. Lunch?"

"Absolutely. I downloaded some really good fights." Sean led the way, broad shouldered body cutting easily through the crowded halls. Paige stood in the lunch line with him, grabbing a gingerale and soup to bolster the lunch her mom had packed for her.

"You're going to work through that just walking to the gym," Sean warned with a grin, nodding his head toward her small lunch.

"Nah, I'll eat again after lunch. Plus, apple slices." She held up the small satchel of dried fruit as she sat.

Sean let out a laugh. "Yeah, it's really good for you. Well, it's health food, so it's nice. I try to keep those around too, otherwise I'd eat chips all day otherwise. How about you? That soup looks pretty healthy."

"I work with a nutritionist actually. Keeps me sane, I don't have to track all the calories myself. If I had to do that_ and_ swim, I would lose it."

"I thought you looked familiar, you're on the swim team. That's awesome. You're Captain?"

"Yeah," Paige smiled, it was nice to be recognized for her achievements, to actually have someone say 'good job' rather than 'what's next?'.

"Nice."

"Yeah, yeah. It's good."

"Me too."

"Cool. There's actually nobody else on the team who was really up for it, except maybe Emily."

Pru and the others sat themselves down at the table, her friend facing her.

"Hey, don't sell yourself short, it's a big deal. Captain of Varsity as a Junior. I know Emily, she's good, it must have been quite the competition."

"Oh, you have no idea." Paige's eyes flicked to Emily, who was looking at them with a gaze Paige couldn't quiet identify. Confusion, certainly. And something that -if Paige had see it on anyone else- she would have been tempted to call jealousy.

What the…

"Hey!" Paige yelped as Pru's kick connected solidly with her shin.

"What have I told you about trying to use your mind to make Spencer's head explode?"

"Practice makes perfect?" Paige quipped, turning her attention from Emily back to her table.

Pru stared at her like a cat who had not only eaten the canary, but had opportunity to marinate and slow roast the bird as well. Her eyes shifted from Sean who was joking with Ben and back again, the implication clear. Paige raised and eyebrow, looking at Sean before she turned back to Pru, realization dawning.

Shit.

Long accustomed to Paige's glare, Pru merely smirked, evidently quite content with whatever theory she had concocted as they sat and ate. Eventually, the bell rang and they all stood, Pru mimicking a phone to her ear before heading off with Ben. Paige rolled her eyes but nodded. She had a good idea what Pru thought was going on but she had no interest in taking the time to disabuse her of the notion. Pru wouldn't believe her anyway.

"Gym?" Sean asked.

"Let's do it."

"I just have to grab my gear from my locker. Meet you there?"

"Sure thing."

Sean headed in the opposite direction, following just behind Emily on the way out of the cafeteria. Paige caught eyes with Emily as the girl left, offering a friendly smile that was half heartedly returned.

Frowning at the unusual brush off, Paige collected her things.

**888**

"So, what're you up to tomorrow?" Sean asked, two days later as they finished up their training session on a sunny Thursday afternoon.

"We have our meet against Jessup then probably homework. " Paige shouldered her hoodie as they made their way from the gym. "Why? What's up?"

"A few of us are going out for pizza, I was wondering if maybe you want to go?"

She didn't. Paige had no desire to spend her evening being subjected to the company of Ben and Noel Kahn but Pru had already roped her into it. Considering how Pru kept throwing her knowing grins every time Sean looked at her, Paige had feeling her friend had put him up to the invite. Sean was a nice guy, if a little too earnest, and Pru would harass her to no end if she tried to bail.

"Sure, sounds like fun." Paige gave him the best smile she could muster, trying not to flinch at the way his face lit up. They said their goodbyes and Paige walked into the changeroom, her reflection catching her eye. She wasn't particularly proud of the person that stared back at her. She had promised herself to be brave yet here she was, agreeing to some pseudo date with Sean when all she wanted was Emily.

"You're an ass." Paige dropped her head against the mirror with a dull thud. There had to be some kind of graceful way out of this. She had no idea what it was but that didn't keep her from hoping an easy button would drop out of the sky.

"Paige?"

She turned at the sound of Coach Fulton's voice. "I'm okay, just a weird day," she said, answering the unspoken question in Coach's eyes.

"You sure?"

"Yeah." Paige pushed herself away from the wall to walk over to the coach. "New posters for the fundraiser?" Paige pointed to the sheaf of papers that Coach held in her hands.

"You got it. If we do as well as we did last time, we'll have all we need for our trip to Philly."

"Cool, I'll take them and post them after class."

Coach Fulton held out the papers -emblazoned with a a bright 'Sharks' logo- holding on to them as Paige reached out. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"I'm good, Coach. Promise."

"Okay, my door's open."

"Thanks."

Coach Fulton headed for her office and Paige went into the shower area to finish up. She still had a few minutes before class and she took to the hallways to hang up the posters. She walked the halls, tacking the posters up on the main message boards. The bell rang and the hallway was suddenly filled by students rushing to their next class.

"Hey." Paige turned as she finished tacking up one of the last posters, coming face to face with Emily. It was somewhat of a surprise to see her. The girl had made herself unusually scarce the last couple of days, getting to practice just on time and high tailing it afterward before Paige was barely out of the water.

"Hey."

"I, uh, saw you talking to Sean the other day."

Paige figured she must have been talking about lunch on Tuesday, she had barely seen Emily since then.

"Yeah, he's nice. He makes me laugh." He was a little too much of a puppy dog but he was a good natured guy who didn't take himself too seriously. "I know it might be kinda weird, you being friends with Hannah and Hannah being his ex."

"That's not really the weird part, is it?"

Paige felt her eyes widen at the blatant call out. Damn, right in the middle of the hallway. Emily certainly didn't pull punches. Paige turned away, hoping that would be the end of a conversation that had hit the skids in under a minute. The last thing she needed was someone like McNab or worse, 'A', overhearing their discussion.

No such luck. Emily followed her, walking at Paige's side as she headed down the hall.

"Sean asked me about you. He wanted to know if you were seeing anybody."

"What'd you tell him?" Paige asked, genuinely curious how Emily would handle that potential conversational hand grenade.

"Well, I told him as far as I knew, you weren't. I think he wanted me to talk him up with you." Emily paused, as though she were reticent to part with the next piece of information. "I'm pretty sure he's going to ask you out."

"He has."

"And what'd you say?"

Paige bristled at the accusation in Emily's tone. All things considered, she didn't think she actually owed Emily an explanation.

"I said yes."

Paige couldn't quite discern the emotion in Emily's eyes. Hurt? Disbelief? Technically, it didn't matter. They were just friends and who Paige did or didn't date wasn't any of Emily's concern. Still, no matter what label they put on themselves, Paige couldn't leave Emily thinking she didn't care about her feelings. However confused they were.

"It's not really a date. We're going with a bunch of other people, no big."

Unable to take any more of the hurt look, Paige brushed past Emily, headed for class. She spent the bulk of the last lecture running the conversation through her mind, trying to figure out where she had gone wrong. Emily didn't want to date her. Why did it matter if Paige hung out with other people?

When the final bell rang, Paige headed for her locker to grab her books. There was no evening practice on the day before a meet so she was free to do as she pleased. She hit the washroom, Pru following in behind her.

"Hey."

"Hey, no practice tonight?"

"Nope, Jessup meet tomorrow so we only had the morning."

"Cool. Let's talk about tomorrow then. Pretty impressive, Sean Ackard, huh? Score one for Paige."

Paige rolled her eyes at the insinuation. "He asked me and I thought it would be fun." She had no interest in him romantically but a night out with the crowd sounded better than wallowing in her room about her failed attempt at dating Emily.

"I thought he was in hibernate for the rest of the year but you dragged him out of the cave, nice work."

Paige shook her head, hoping her laugh would cover her nerves. Pru split off from her when they hit the parking lot, giving Paige a wave as she slid into her car. Paige hopped on her bike to cycle home, the brisk breeze driving her to pedal hard. Her parents were already seated with dinner on the table when she arrived.

"Hey, Sweetheart. How was your day?"

"Good. I guess. I...uh," Paige paused, wondering what to reveal. If she didn't say something now, her dad would hear about it through the McNab grapevine by tomorrow. "I'm going on a date tomorrow. Well, a group date, I guess. With Sean."

"The young man you were talking about last Friday?" her father asked, leaning back in his chair to look at her.

"Yeah." The words felt... dirty almost. Talking about Sean as though he were an actual date and not some strawman that she was parading around. "He asked me out today."

"All right, make sure you're home by twelve."

"…Okay." That was it? Confused, Paige turned to her mother for an explanation about the sudden laissez faire attitude. On her last date, the poor boy had needed everything but a damn credit check. What the hell?

"What time are you going out?"

"Right after the meet. I'm going to go over to Pru's to get ready. She's going to pick me up from school."

"You'd better make sure you have everything packed tonight then."

"Okay, um...thanks, dad."

The conversation turned to other things leaving Paige to settle into her own thoughts. She had to admit it was nice to not have her father questioning her for once. If only all things could be so easy.

**888**

Paige showed up to practice on Friday morning, disappointed but not surprised to find herself alone, Emily nowhere in sight. She had played with the idea of texting her teammate the night before but decided against it. She had enough trouble dealing with her own feelings, she didn't have it in her to dissect Emily's as well. If the girl had something to say, surely she would let Paige know.

The team gradually filtered in, Emily one of the last to show. Practice wasn't particularly pretty, Emily giving her the cold shoulder as the team struggled to sort themselves out for the afternoon meet. When practice was done, Paige made a point of seeking her teammate out, only to find Emily long gone by the time she hit the changeroom.

Paige spent the bulk of her day trying to figure out how to mend whatever she had broken between her and Emily, the effort proving fruitless. She hadn't made any headway by the time the bell rang and she made her way to the natatorium. She understood that Emily was pissed about her hanging out with Sean but she couldn't for the life of her figure out why.

Was Emily irritated that she was going out with a guy? She had to know that it wasn't anything more than friends, Emily knew who she was.

Was Emily jealous? About what? They had kissed but Paige was certain the emotions had been a lot stronger on her side than on Emily's. Em could have anyone she wanted, it didn't make sense for her to be hung up on closeted teammate who barely had the courage to admit her feelings.

Giving up the consideration in favour of concentrating on the meet, Paige opened her locker and pulled out her gear. Her teammates were quick to appear, gearing up in a similar manner while they waited for Coach Fulton.

Emily came up beside her, giving her a silent nod before turning to her pre-meet preparations. Paige wanted to work things out, get them back to some semblance of normalcy but at this point, she had no idea what 'normal' was.

Their eyes met, Emily's intense gaze holding for a moment, her teammate looking like there was something she wanted to say.

"Paige?"

Paige blinked, trying to hide her frown as she turned from Emily, the moment broken. "What's up, Breanne?"

She coached the freshmen through her jitters, herding her team out on to the pool deck when it was time. Paige looked around the natatorium, eyes falling on her parents. She expected as much, Jessup was a strong contender and her dad liked to keep an eye on the competition. What she didn't expect was her cheering section, led by Pru, seated on the lower bleachers. Sean waved at her and gave her an enthusiastic thumbs up.

Paige offered a smile that she hoped didn't look pained and turned back to her teammates. Emily stared past her, lips pursed.

Crap. Definitely jealousy.

A quick cheer and the team was taking their places, Jessup setting up its relays beside them. The meet was a massacre from the minute the starting gun went off. The stilted atmosphere between Paige and Emily threw everyone off balance, their poor showing in the individual races pulling down the morale of their teammates.

By the time they hit the relay, there was no way to make up the points. Emily finished her leg well shy of her personal best, setting Vicky back in a domino effect that lasted through the whole relay. Paige had been unable to pick up the slack. It was evident that neither of them had their hearts in the pool and, for the first time in awhile, Paige just wished for it to be over.

Coach Fulton frowned at the poor performance as Jessup celebrated their win. Paige couldn't blame her. They had gotten spanked like a toddler throwing a tantrum. When it was finally done, Paige lagged behind the others, uninterested in making small talk.

Her eyes found her father's, the man's mouth set in an unimpressed line. Wonderful. Coach Fulton, clearly concerned, followed her into the change room.

"I'll take care of it," Paige said, the response nearly automatic. It was what her father always needed to hear to get him off her back.

"We all have bad days, Paige. Shake it off, there are plenty more meets."

Paige wanted to accept the words, chalk it up to the tides or the star or something but she couldn't. She didn't get to have 'off' days. Too many people were counting on her, expecting more of her, she needed to be on key. Always.

Heading for the showers, Paige hoped that taking the extra time to rinse off would clear the locker room. She was mostly correct, Emily was the only one left, shoving her gear into her bag with a little more force than necessary. Paige cleared her throat so she didn't startle the girl and opened her locker to grab her clothes.

"Are you okay?" Paige finally asked, leaning down a little get Emily to make eye contact. Her teammate refused look at her, focus glued to the contents of her bag.

"I'm fine."

Paige pursed her lips, pulling her track suit from her bag as Emily rifled ruthlessly through her own kit.

"Okay." Paige slammed the locker door, hoping to shock Emily out of her stupor. It had the intended effect, Emily jumping back to glare at her. "What is it?"

"What's what?"

"It. Whatever 'it' is that's got you in a mood. I could practically feel the pool freeze over when you got in. What's wrong?"

"What's wrong? You have to ask?

"Apparently."

"You're going on a date with Sean."

"This again." Paige pulled her tank top down over her body. "Why do you even care? 'Just friends', remember? You made that call, not me."

"So, Sean's what? Your rebound? Or are you just using him to get back at me?"

Paige rubbed at her temple, the frustrating conversation threatening to bring on a migraine. "I don't want to get back at you. I don't want to hurt you but you don't get to have it both ways. You can't say we're 'just friends' and still get to tell me who I can date. I'm sorry, it just doesn't work that way."

Paige tugged her bag onto her shoulder, taking a deep breath. She had enough to worry about without having to deal with Emily's confusing push and pull. "Look, we tried something, it didn't work out. It sucks but I need to know that whatever's going on between us isn't going to get taken out in the pool."

"That's all you care about."

Paige shook her head. "You know it's not," Paige could hear the defeat in her own voice. She didn't know how to make it better. She didn't know what Emily wanted from her. Paige reached out to her teammate. "Em…"

"Just go. Wouldn't want to keep Sean waiting."

Paige bit down on the urge to lash out, choosing instead to remain silent and walk away. She did her best to keep hold of her neutral face as she met the disappointed gaze of her father. The urge to break into frustrated tears was a strong one and Paige struggled to keep control, knowing the questions that followed wouldn't be ones she could answer. Fighting with Emily left her completely unsettled, a leaden weight sitting in the pit of her gut.

Love was for suckers.

Her father met her just before the door, his frown speaking volumes. Her mother's gaze was considerably more open, the woman offering Paige a kiss on the temple in conciliation.

"We have a lot of work to do," her father's grim expression spoke of long weekends training with Keith. Paige nodded, grateful that was the extent of the lecture that she would get in public. Temporarily placated, he turned to talk to McNab.

Her mother held out two twenty dollar bills. "Here, honey. Have fun tonight."

"Thanks, Mom."

Paige headed over to Pru who was still milling with the group, Sean and the others chatting together.

"Hey, good try," Sean offered.

"I sucked, we sucked. I'm flushing the whole meet from my mind."

"We'll have some fun tonight, get your mind off it."

"Absolutely," Pru answered for them both. "We'll see you guys in a couple of hours." Pru grabbed her arm, tugging her out to the car and leaving the boys behind. Paige slid into her seat, Pru's smug look telling her she was about to be shanghaied.

"What?"

"Every dirty details, McCullers. Starting with last Friday."

"What? Pru, there are no dirty details. We're just hanging out. That's all."

"Bullshit."

"Pru!"

"Don't 'Pru!' me. You're seriously going to sit there, after I covered for you, and tell me there isn't something going on with you two? He made Ben come and watch the meet with him." Pru's eyes flicked over to the school where McNab was bounding down the steps toward the car. Paige stared at Pru, the silent exchange speaking volumes. Paige was off the hook, for now, but Pru wasn't done.

"Hey, guys!"

"Hey!"

"Hey," Paige greeted dully. Spending two hours a day in the pool with McNab was more than enough but as a fringe part of their social circle, Pru had invited her along. As if she needed someone reporting back on her date. The short drive to Pru's house was filled with chatter, Pru listing off her outfit choices for the evening. They were quick to dress when they arrived at the house, Paige pulling her outfit from her backpack.

"You can't wear that," Pru said as Paige walked out of the washroom in black pants and a turtle neck. McNab's unimpressed stare seconded Pru's opinion.

"What's wrong with it?"

"Beside the fact that you look like a politicians wife?"

"Hey."

"No. No way, take it off, Paige. I'll find you something decent."

"But I…"

Pru's glare cut off her words and she dutifully marched back into the washroom to peel out of her clothes. She hadn't thought it was _that_ bad. A knock on the door was all the warning she had before Pru walked in.

"Pru!"

"Jesus, would you relax? I've got a pair of my own you know. It's nothing I haven't seen."

Paige pursed her lips, arms crossed over her bra clad chest in an attempt at modesty.

"Whatever. Put this on." Pru handed her a dress. "And takes this off," Pru snapped Paige's bra strap, standing there expectantly. "Today, Paige. We're running late."

Grudgingly, Paige turned to change, pulling off her bra and tugging the dress into place. Her displeasure must have shown on her face.

"It won't kill you to look like a teenager for one night. C'mere." Pru tugged at the fabric to settle it and handed her a sweater. "There, much better. Now, come on, we still need to do your hair."

Half an hour of primping had all of them ready, Paige holding tightly to Pru's borrowed purse as they shuffled into the car. There was no denying the anxious pit in her stomach, the feeling only intensifying the closer they got to the pizza parlour.

This was insane. A week ago she had been on a date with the girl of her dreams. And now… Paige sighed quietly. Why was she doing this? If she had stuck to her guns, been brave -at least not been such a flat out coward- she could have been with Emily right now.

'A' had been her excuse but Paige wondered if that wasn't all it was. An excuse. A reason not to do what she knew needed to be done. Paige was so terrified of what came after, that she was holding on to every reason not to move forward. That cowardice had brought her here, to the doors of a pizza parlour, staring at an earnest young man that she would have given nearly anything to exchange for a certain young woman.

"Hey, Earth to Paige. You coming?"

"Yeah, sorry." Paige shook off the thoughts, trapped for the time being.

"Hey, Paige. Wow, you look great." Sean stood as she approached, offering her a seat.

"Thanks." Paige returned the bright wattage smile with one of her own, it wasn't his fault she was an ass. He had gone to all the trouble to come see her at the meet, he at least deserved some good company for the evening. The atmosphere was relaxed, conversation crossing the large round table, the group of ten taking up most of the small parlour.

Sean was charming and attentive, breaking in with a joke or anecdote whenever their side of the table quieted. Paige liked him, in her father's ideal world, he was the perfect choice. Clean cut, athletic, well to do with a minister for a father. On paper, Sean was perfect. Paige thought if she were capable of having feelings for a guy, it would be someone like him. Life would be so much simpler. Unfortunately, there was nothing simple about lying.

It was nearly ten o'clock when Sean checked his watch, frowning at the time. "I'm sorry to do this, I have to get going. I'm supposed to be up early to help my dad clear out the store room at church."

"No worries. I have to be up early for my swim lesson anyway."

" I could give you a ride home, if you wanted."

Paige looked around at the still chattering group. The only one she was remotely comfortable with was Pru and she was heavily engaged in her conversation with Ben. "Sure, a ride would be great."

Paige stood, ignoring the wink Pru threw her way as she said her goodbyes. Sean held the door for her before leading her to his car.

"Thanks for coming out tonight, I had a lot of fun," Sean said as they settled in their seats.

"Me too." He was good company, it hadn't been as painful a night as she thought it would be. "I don't hang out in groups a lot, so it was definitely different." Paige directed him to her house, steering them into small talk in the hopes of avoiding any deeper conversation. He pulled into her driveway, her father's car absent, the house notably dark. Sean was out of his door before Paige could say otherwise, walking around to her side to help her out.

"Can I walk you to you door?"

Paige could't find a good reason to refuse, nodding at him before she headed up the walkway. Searching for her keys in the unfamiliar bag, she finally retrieved them and opened her door. A quick flick of the switch turned on the porchlight, bathing them in a yellow glow. She was debating the appropriate way to say 'goodnight' -mind preoccupied with a finding a graceful exit- when Sean leaned down, catching her by surprise with his kiss.

Huh. So that was what that felt like.

She reached out on instinct, holding on to his shoulders to steady herself in her surprise. It wasn't bad, per se. He smelled nice, jaw stubble free, minimal drool. It just wasn't what she wanted. And, unlike most things in her life, it wasn't something she could fake. Maybe once, she could have, before she had known what it was to kiss someone she truly cared for. But, now that she had Emily to compare it to, the falseness of it rang too loudly for her to stand. Paige pulled away, clearing her throat as Sean gave a sheepish smile.

"Uh, I'm sorry I…"

"No, it's okay, I…"

They paused, Sean motioning for Paige to go first.

"You're a great guy."

"Uh oh."

"Really, you are. This just, it isn't something I can do."

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No." Paige reached out, squeezing his arm. "Believe me, it is completely me. I thought maybe I could try this, because you're great and my dad would love you but…"

"But?"

"But I have feelings for someone else and it wouldn't be fair to either of us to do this."

"I understand." He seemed disappointed but not angry, his good nature letting him take the rejection in stride. "So, I guess I'll just... see you Monday? Work on your uppercut?"

"Sounds like a plan."

"G'night Paige."

"Night, Sean." She waited until he was in the car and down the drive before she went inside. Closing the door, she leaned against it, head hitting with a dull thud. Now what?

She needed someone to talk to. She needed reassurance that she was doing the right thing. There was only one person she could think of that truly knew her, would give her honest advice, even if it was something she didn't want to hear. Paige was already texting as she opened the front door, hooking the car keys on her finger before heading for her mother's sedan. Five minutes saw her outside Emily's house, knocking on the front door.

"Hey," Emily greeted, tone subdued.

"Hey."

Emily stepped aside to allow her in, loose t-shirt and yoga pants a sharp contrast to Paige's black dress. How the hell was it fair that Emily looked so hot in workout clothes? What was Emily even doing home alone on a Friday?

Mrs. Fields was nowhere to be found and Paige followed Emily upstairs, her teammate pushing open the door to her room. Now that she was here, Paige had no idea what to say.

"Nice room."

"Thanks."

"Window seat. I always wanted a room with one of those." She could have slapped herself for the ridiculously lame offering but the words were out. Thankfully, Emily seemed to know her mind better than she did.

"You had your date with Sean."

"Yeah. That's where I was tonight."

"How'd it go?"

"Great. Good. He's a nice guy," Paige paused, the look in Emily's eyes saying she wasn't buying what Paige was selling. "Yeah, it went okay."

"Good."

"'Til he kissed me."

Emily's gaze remained curious though there was another emotion Paige couldn't quite pin down. Disappointment maybe?

"He took me home and kissed me goodnight. Then, I don't know, the date, the whole night just felt phoney all of a sudden. Like it wasn't me. It was somebody I was watching but not me. He went home and I texted you."

"Sean's a nice guy and if he's interested in you as more than a friend, you have to be honest with him."

"You're saying I should dump him." Paige sighed, at least one of her instincts had been right.

"I'm saying you shouldn't lead him on, you have to be honest."

"That is so easy for you to say, you're fearless." Paige accused. And why wouldn't she be? Emily was perfect.

"I am so not fearless." Emily didn't even seem to believe that Paige could think it of her. She had no idea that she was Paige's hero. Emily had done everything Paige wanted to do not the least of which was taking control of her life.

"You came out!"

Emily shook her head in denial. "I didn't come out of the closet. I fell out, on my face. But I'm out. And whatever else happens, I don't have to worry about it anymore."

Paige closed her eyes, tears threatening, the pain that came with her longing nearly unbearable. How she wished she could take that step. Accept what she was. Be brave, like Emily. But the consequences... who she was could destroy her life.

As much as Paige and her father locked horns, she did love him. The potential to lose that, to lose the person who was at once her greatest challenger and staunchest supporter, kept her paralyzed. She could lose everything. "If I say it out loud, if I say... I'm gay. The whole world is going to change."

"Yeah, it will." Emily didn't offer platitudes. They both knew who her father was. Paige let out a sigh, turning way from Emily's concerned gaze to take a seat by the window.

Emily sat beside her, close enough that their shoulders touched. "You want to hear something funny?"

Paige blinked back tears, trying to steady herself before she melted down completely. "I would love to her something funny."

"When I was trying to talk myself into being interested in boys, I would look for guys like you."

Paige let out a laugh at the absurdity of Emily's admission, not quite believing it. "Like me how?"

"The kind that would pull me up on stage and get me to sing because I would never do that on my own."

Paige turned to Emily, seeing only honesty in her eyes. Honesty and a longing that Paige knew was reflected in her own gaze. She leaned forward, giving in to the urge to act on impulse, capturing Emily's lips with her own. Searching out, she clasped Emily's hand, grounded by the fact that the other girl held tightly to her.

A gentle hand landed on her cheek, caressing sensitive skin as Paige allowed herself to simply enjoy the moment, blocking out all the complications that she knew would come with it. They pulled apart long moment later, Emily resting her forehead against Paige's.

"That wasn't part of my plan when I came over," Paige breathed, wishing this moment of safety, of acceptance, could last forever.

"Things don't always have to go according to plan, McCullers."

Paige smiled in answer, grin widening when Emily pressed a quick kiss to her lips.

"The real question is, what do we do now?"

Paige sat back to look Emily in the eyes as she spoke. Emily seemed to think the physical retreat was an emotional one as well, attempting to pull her hands away. Paige held fast, needing Emily to hear her out.

"I'm not ready to come out. Yet." Paige needed time to put a backup plan in place. Get some reassurance that 'A' wouldn't try to use Emily against her or vice versa. "But I… I've never wanted to come out before. Before you, I accepted that I'd have to live a lie. And part of me was okay with that because it was what I needed to do to make my Dad proud of me. I don't feel that way anymore, Em. When I went out with Sean, I realized I couldn't do it. I won't."

"Paige…"

"I can't guarantee how fast I'll go and I know you deserve better than that. I won't blame you if it's still not enough." Paige knew she was rambling but maybe if she threw out enough words, some of them would actually make sense.

"Paige."

"I won't hide our friendship, maybe we could just…" Paige shut up as Emily leaned into her, kissing her into silence. When Emily seemed satisfied that she had ended the ramble, she pulled away.

"Better. Look, Paige, I was harsh that day at the park. I thought you meant you didn't want to come out ever. I'm sorry I didn't give you a chance to explain."

Paige shook her head, it wasn't Emily's fault. If she had just been braver, been honest from the outset, they wouldn't be where they were. "It's not your fault."

"No. I did what I thought was best for me but I didn't give you the chance to explain and I owed you that much at least."

They sat there, foreheads touching, arms resting around each other's waist.

"Someone had to be patient with me once, too. We'll work through it. I'll try to be more understanding. I get that you're scared."

Paige closed her eyes, soaking in the warmth, pulling strength from the person she idolized most. "I'm not when I'm with you."


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimers:** See the last 10 chapters.

**Author's Note**: We all know the Season 1 Paily ship is about to run aground. How about a couple chapters of fluff to keep you afloat? Fair? Fair. This chapter contains spoilers up to Season 1, Episode 20, "Someone to Watch Over Me". Also, if you want to check out the Batman geek tweet, here ya be: ** /8j6xyw3**

Don't forget to tip your bards. If you take the time to read, do us authors a solid and take the extra second to review.

Thank you everyone for the faves/follows and reviews. Much appreciated!

Enjoy!

**888**

Paige rolled out of bed early Saturday morning, tugging on thick sweatpants over her bathing suit. A quick splash of cold water on her face brought some measure of alertness with it and Paige stared at herself in the mirror. Hair askew, eyes red, body barely functioning after four hours sleep. To put it mildly, she felt like a bag of crap. Physically.

Mentally, she was still on cloud nine, waking mind allowing only a few minutes of mild exhaustion before the excitement of last night washed away the remnants of sleep. She was dating Emily. She, Paige McCullers -the uber awkward, high strung, closet case- was dating Emily Fields. Despite her exhaustion, she found herself grinning at the mirror. It was going to be a good day.

Face washed, hair tamed into some semblance of normalcy, Paige tossed a spare change of clothes into her knapsack and headed upstairs, the ground level quiet. Her parents had been out late last night so she was on her own for breakfast. Deciding a little fat was in order before her two hour swim session with Keith, she forewent her oatmeal in favour of hopping on her bike, pedalling briskly to The Brew.

As she pushed open the door, the warm aroma of coffee hit her like a wall, senses finally kicking in to gear at the promise of caffeine. She ordered two blueberry scones and a latte, drumming her fingers on the counter as she waited for her order. As she scanned the small cafe, her eyes found Emily and Mrs. Fields, the pair clad in jogging gear, hands wrapped tightly around their coffee mugs.

Paige accepted her order, shyly returning Emily's cheerful wave. Mrs. Fields' eyes tracked to Paige, expression questioning as she caught the interaction between the two girls. Paige cautiously walked over, she had no idea what Emily had told her mother about them.

"Morning," Emily greeted with a bright smile, using her foot to push a chair out for Paige. She looked to Emily's mom for objection, finding no ill will -only a mild curiosity- in the dark gaze. A touch uncomfortable but willing to give it a try for Emily's sake, Paige put her breakfast on the table.

"Morning, aren't you up early for a Saturday?" Paige asked, most reasonable people were still snuggled tightly in their beds.

"Mom's training for the Rosewood Relay. Evidently all her running partners cancelled for today so I got stuck doing laps around the park." Emily' s look at her mother said she didn't quite believe the story.

"It didn't do you any harm," Mrs. Fields teased giving Emily's hand a shake. Her warm smile, directed at Emily, was a slightly more refined clone of her daughters'. "What about you, Paige?'

"Swimming practice with my tutor. I've been getting away with taking lessons at home but once we start getting frost, it's a little too chilly to do it outside." Paige's phone rang and she pulled it out to check the number. "Speaking of... excuse me for a second." The Fields women nodded at her and Paige got up to take the call. "Morning, Keith. What's up?"

"Good morning, Paige. Listen, I know it's short notice but I was wondering if we could postpone today's lesson? I have a little bit of an emergency at home."

"Sure thing. Is tomorrow, okay?"

"That's perfect. Thanks, Paige."

"No problem, see you then." Paige clicked off the phone and walked back to the table, an idea forming.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I think so. Keith had to cancel for today." Paige checked her watch. "Rosewood Public opens in twenty, feel like getting your butt kicked?"

"Once." Emily held up a finger. "You beat me once, McCullers. I'll wipe the pool with you."

"Money where your mouth is, Fields."

Emily turned to her mother, the unspoken question evident.

"Do whatever you want, Honey. I got a run out of you. I'm going home to soak in the tub."

"I'll drop you off."

"No need, the walk'll be a good cool down." Mrs. Fields stood, her cup of coffee clutched in her hand. "You two behave yourselves." With that, Mrs. Fields dropped a kiss on Emily's head and headed for the door, a cold blast of air replacing her as she left.

"Do you want to put your bike in my car? You must have frozen to death on your way over."

"Pfft, cars are for the weak. I ride right up until it snows. Even then, I only stop because I don't have a decent set of snow tires."

"You're crazy."

"Maybe." Paige sipped at her latte, enjoying the creamy drink. "But I make crazy look good."

"Those scones on your diet, McCullers?"

"Sure, right under the 'do not eat' heading." Paige gleefully shoved half the pastry into her mouth, pausing only to break off a piece for Emily who eyed the treat longingly. When her meal was complete, they stood, fingers brushing lightly as they walked from the table. Paige looked over, smiling at the grinning Emily before she pushed the door open, allowing her teammate to precede her.

"Meet you there?"

"Sure thing." Paige tugged on her helmet, winking at Emily's surprised look. The short trip to the public pool was an easy one, Paige pulling up shortly after Emily. They walked in together, Rosewood duffel bags slung over their shoulders. The attendant was seated sleepily behind the desk, eyes moving slowly across a magazine page.

"Morning."

"Morning."

"Two please." Paige held out her punch card. He obliged, punching out two sessions with a yawn before returning to his reading. Emily followed Paige into the change room, the entire facility empty in the early morning.

"I'll get the lockers," Emily offered. They were quickly changed with gear stored, locker room still empty as they headed for the pool. The path to the rinsing showers passed by a set of curtained change stalls, an unexpected hip check by Emily knocked Paige into the first one.

"Geeze, Fields. Walk much? I..."

Emily silenced the tease with her lips, closing the curtain with one hand as her other threaded into Paige's hair. Her surprise lasted for only second before she responded, holding tightly to Emily, shoulders leaning against the wall of the stall to support herself. Emily only broke off when they heard the outer door open -voices filtering in- slowly disengaging with a quiet giggle.

"I've wanted to kiss you 'good morning' for longer than I can say," Paige admitted, their foreheads touching as Emily played with her hair.

"Guess we'll just have to make it a habit then." Emily dropped a last, chaste kiss on Paige's cheek before pulling her out of the stall. "C'mon, McCullers. I'm about to show you what it feels like to have your ass kicked. Again."

**888**

"How was practice this morning?" Paige's mother asked as she set lunch out on the table. Shifting nervously under her father's direct stare, Paige cleared her throat.

"Keith actually cancelled, he had a family emergency. I went to Rosewood Public and swam laps."

"For four hours?" Her father asked, the question calm enough but the implication in his tone clear. He knew she was holding something back. Damn.

"I met up with Emily and her mom on my way in. Em and I did laps and went out for coffee after."

"And how is Mrs. Fields doing?" her father asked, his expression clearly stating he wanted no part of the conversation but good manners forcing him to ask. For her part, Paige's mother seemed genuinely interested.

"She's good, she's doing the Rosewood Relay. She and Emily were out for a run."

"That's nice of Emily to keep her company. Do you have another lesson with Keith lined up?" Her mother, as always, was the ultimate peacekeeper.

"Yeah, I'll bike down tomorrow and then go to church from there."

"I'll drive you," her father said. Paige wanted to refuse the offer but his tone told her it wasn't a good idea. He didn't like that she had been on her own with Emily and he was determined to assert some kind of control. It was a small matter and she knew she had to pick her battles.

"Okay, Dad. Sounds good."

**888**

Monday morning found Paige locking her bike to the rack, rubbing cold hands to bring warmth to them.

"Can I interest you in something hot?"

Paige raised an eyebrow, turning in her crouch to find a smirking Emily with two steaming coffee cups in hand. "Uh..." She knew her mouth worked, she even vaguely recalled being able to form sentences at some point in the recent past. That didn't seem to matter as Paige's mind stuttered to a stop, a croaked out "sure?" her only offering.

Emily gestured her head toward the back of the building where the natatorium entrance was and Paige followed, backpack hitched high on her shoulder. They sat, side by side, on the cold cement steps, Paige reaching for one of the cups.

"Ah, ah, ah, McCullers." Emily held the coffee out of reach, leaning over expectantly. Paige gave a quick check of the dark area, darkness surrounding them, not another person in sight. Satisfied they were on their own, Paige closed the distance between them, hand cupping Emily's cheek as their lips met. Emily tasted of mint and coffee, soft lips warm in the cool morning. She felt Emily put down the coffee, warm hands resting on Paige's knees. When they broke apart, Paige grinned stupidly, unable to believe she had just been making out with a girl on the steps of her school. "'Morning, Paige," Emily breathed.

"Good morning, Em."

They spent their coffee time in companionable silence, a continuous stream of text messages the day before leaving little of their weekend to talk about. Bert let them in at their usual time, Coach already in her office, sipping sedately at her coffee.

"Meet you in there?" Paige asked. "I've got to ask Coach something about the meet on Friday."

"Sounds good, see you in a few." Emily broke off, heading to the locker room proper while Paige went in to Coach Fulton's office.

"Coach?"

"Morning, Paige. What can I do for you?"

"I was, uh, actually hoping I could talk to you for a few minutes."

"Of course." Coach Fulton put her newspaper down, gesturing to the seats in front of her desk. "Pull up a chair."

Paige sat in the visitors' chair, nerves overriding good manners as she fidgeted. She had thought through the beginning of her battle plan on Sunday. Step one was to bolster her forces and to do that, she needed to create a network of people to lean on, like Emily had. Coach Fulton had seemed like the perfect place to start. Now, faced with the actuality of giving voice to her needs, her words had begun to desert her.

"I...uh."

"Paige, this is a safe place. You don't have to be afraid," Coach assured. "Unless you're about to tell me you're quitting, 'cause then you'd better head for the hills."

Paige laughed at the tease, her nerves deflating in the face of Fulton's friendly, open manner. "I'm... I need to tell my parents something and I'm a little afraid of how they'll react. I...uh..." Paige stopped, she had no real idea what she was asking for. She only knew that Coach Fulton was one of the few adults she trusted to give her solid advice. She had hoped to lay her problem out before Coach and have her mentor guide her to a solution.

"I find when I have...issues that I'm nervous talking about, it helps if I have the language to explain myself properly. It allows you to present yourself capably, which can make a difference when you're talking to people who have strong feelings about certain subjects."

Paige turned as she heard Emily pass by on the way to the pool, unable to keep the grin from her face at her teammate's wave. She turned back to Coach Fulton, acceptance and understanding in her mentor's gentle gaze.

"My Dad's going to kill me."

"He may have a strong reaction, yes. But your father loves you."

"He loves his vision of me. This... I'm not going to fit that vision anymore."

"Maybe not," Coach agreed with a nod. "Regardless, you deserve the chance to be the best..."

"…Version of me that I can be," Paige finished, realization dawning. "You knew."

Coach Fulton didn't confirm or deny the words, instead reaching into her desk. She pulled out a business card, handing it to Paige. "The website lists some local resources."

"Do you... Is there maybe a number I could call to talk to someone?"

"Sure." Coach Fulton handed her a pen and turned to her computer, bringing up a website. She listed off the number, Paige writing it down on the back of the card in her nearly illegible scrawl. Her mother constantly teased her about her chicken scratch, long forbidden from writing out phone messages.

"Thanks, Coach. I… I really appreciate it. You're first person I've been able to talk to besides..." Paige paused, wondering if she should talk about her relationship.

"Besides Emily," Coach Fulton finished. "I'm glad you felt comfortable enough to confide in me. You're not alone, Paige."

"I know that now."

"You'd better get out there, here take this while you're at it." Coach Fulton handed her the relay setup for Friday.

"Thanks again, Coach."

"Anytime, my door's always open."

Paige headed out of the office, card clutched tightly in her hand, gear bag slung. She forwent spending extra time in the locker room, simply dropping her kit in the bleachers. She tucked the card into her pocket and stripped out of her warm-ups, Emily hauling herself out of the pool to walk up beside her.

"All good?"

"All good. Check it out," Paige held out the line up sheet. She was reticent to tell Emily about her discussion with Coach. She still had no timeline and she didn't want to get Emily's hopes up too soon. Chances were, 'A' was gearing up to make the decision for her but Paige didn't want her hand tipped early.

Paige stopped as realization set in. She had come out to someone. Sure, Coach had already pegged her and Paige had known Fulton was gay friendly but still. Someone other than her, Emily and 'A' knew she was a girl who was into girls. Her life hadn't imploded. The world kept turning. Life went on.

"Earth to Space Cadet, McCullers. Come in, McCullers."

Paige turned at Emily's gentle poke, smiling at her teammate. "Sorry, caffeine hasn't kicked in."

"Obviously not, you haven't even trash talked me about Coach picking you for anchor."

"I thought trash talk was implied when I handed over the line up but if you want…" Paige put her arms down by her side, dancing a poor impression of a jig.

"What was that?" Emily asked with a snort, laughter making her near impossible to understand.

"It's my victory dance."

"It looked like the Snoopy dance."

"You have something against Snoopy?"

"Nope. Nothing at all." Emily held her hands up in surrender. "All right, enough stalling, McCullers. It's your challenge day."

"I'm feeling daring," Paige warned. "C'mon."

"Uh oh."

Paige had debated what to do for Emily's so called 'challenge day', settling on the diving board. She had seen Em play around on the one metre board and occasionally even the three metre but she had yet to venture to the full high dive. One of their early morning conversations had yielded the information that Emily had a fear of heights.

"Paige, I don't know if I can do this."

"I do." Paige stopped in front of the steps to the ten metre board. "C'mon we'll just get up there and you can get used to the height."

Emily didn't seem to fully trust that was all Paige would get her to do but eventually relented, ascending the steps first. She paused three quarters of the way up, looking down, reticence clear.

"You can do it, Em. Don't look down."

"I don't..."

"C'mon, Fields. You chicken?"

Not even the level headed Emily was immune to the taunt and she set her mouth in a firm line, hauling herself to the top. Paige followed her onto the board, the narrow platform a little more crowded now that two of them occupied it.

"See, it's not so bad," Paige said. Emily stood mid platform, rooted in place as she held onto the stability bars.

"Have I told you I don't do heights?"

"You're doing great." Paige walked calmly toward the edge of the platform. "C'mon, come sit down."

"No freaking way."

"What happens if there's one of those zombie apocalypses you're always watching? What if you end up being chased by the undead and the only way to escape is to climb to the top of a clocktower, or an apartment building or a lighthouse or something?"

"I accept the inevitable and hope I like the taste of human flesh?"

Paige held out a hand. If she could coax Emily to sing when she had absolutely no idea what she was doing, Paige sure as hell could get her to face this fear. "C'mon, meet me halfway."

Emily grudgingly reached out and Paige tangled their fingers together, giving a gentle tug to get the other girl to release the bars. She did, taking small steps until she reached Paige, tanned fingers digging into her forearm, anxiety evident.

"You're okay, sit down." Emily sat first, cautiously, and Paige sat beside her, legs hanging over the platform as they looked out over the natatorium.

"It's… nice up here," Emily finally said. Paige laid her hand on top of Emily's, feeling the other girl squeeze, her nerves betraying her.

"See? Nothing to be scared of. I've hit the water every which way from up here, worst I've done is knock the wind out of myself."

"Belly flop?"

"Belly flop," Paige confirmed with a grimace. "I was trying a trick dive I saw at a competition and well, let's just say I didn't nail it."

"Ow."

"I cursed a little more than that but yeah, pretty much."

Coach Fulton walked out of her office, searching the pool and deck before she looked up, finding them. "You two watch yourselves, I don't have any spare anchors if you break anything."

"We will, Coach."

They watched Coach Fulton head out to grab her customary second cup of coffee, a sign that the others would start to straggle in within the next fifteen minutes.

"All right, Superstar. How do we get down from here?"

Paige raised an eyebrow and looked down at the water.

"Yeah, right. No way."

"You think climbing down'll be better?" The steep staircase was considerably less fun in reverse, the extreme angle making you feel as though you were in constant danger of toppling forward. Emily looked back at the steps, brow furrowing in a way Paige found inexplicably adorable.

"We'll jump together. I've done this tons," Paige promised, standing up and tugging Emily with her. Emily stood, though she refused to look down, staring at Paige. "I won't let go." Paige threaded her fingers with Emily's, slowly edging their toes over the end. She fought not to wince as Emily's grip tightened, her teammate pointedly looking anywhere but at the water below.

"Promise?"

"You want me to pinkie swear, Fields?" Paige asked, giving Emily a side glance. She saw determination overtake anxiety, Emily nodding as if to convince herself that she wouldn't be outdone by her fear.

"On three?" Emily asked, jaw clenched.

"One. Two."

"Three."

Paige simply took a step forward, calmly walking into open air and holding tight as she promised to Emily's hand as she brought her teammate with her. She kept her body straight, entering the water feet first, Emily hitting in tandem. Paige opened her eyes at the depth of her descent, finding Emily staring at her underwater with a disbelieving grin. A few swift kicks saw them break the surface, Emily's gaze turning to the platform high above, excitement warring with her lingering fear.

"What do you say, Fields, go again?"

"Race you to the top."

**888**

Paige sat at her usual lunch table, Pru sliding into the seat next to hers.

"So?!"

"So what?" Paige asked, her words directed to Paige but her eyes searching for Emily. She found her with Hanna, walking toward their own table. Their eyes met briefly, Emily offering a shy smile which Paige returned before Pru's kick pulled her attention away. "Ow, what the hell?"

"How'd it go with Sean?"

"It didn't," Paige said, not bothering to inject any false regret into her voice.

"What do you mean 'it didn't'? He drove you home."

"And when we got there, we decided we work better as friends," Paige said, popping the top on the pre-workout shake that Rebecca recommended.

"He decided or you decided? Because he seemed pretty into you."

"I decided," Paige confirmed. "He kissed me and it just didn't feel right."

"He's a pastor's son. He's hot." Pru ticked off the points in Sean's favour on her fingers. "He's literally the crowned king of our school, how did it not feel right? What're you, gay?"

Paige's eyes widened, Pru's voice much too loud for her liking. "Pru!"

"What? Oh, relax Paige. I'm just trying to figure out why you blew off the best guy at school."

"If you like him so much, you date him."

"I just might, Ben's already boring," Pru said though she mustered up a smile for her boyfriend and his crew as they approached. "Since you're not going to be otherwise engaged tonight, want to grab a movie?"

"Just lemme check with my mom, they've been having a bunch of random dinners lately." Paige pulled out her phone, sending out a quick message to check with her parents that it was okay. Lunch passed without incident, Pru mercifully letting the Sean topic die as she found other gossip to focus on. The bell rang signalling the end of lunch and Paige stood.

"Text me later?"

"You bet."

Paige was off, dumping her books in her locker before heading for the change rooms. Her workout bag slung, she headed for the natatorium, fingers brushing against the card Coach Fulton had given her. She pulled the card out, entering the website into her phone, she would have to get rid of it before she went home. She tucked the card back into the side pocket of her bag and pushed open the door to the locker room, starting back as she found Emily just inside the door.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Just wanted to say 'hi', I didn't get to talk to you at lunch. I'm not... really sure how much..." Emily stopped, her lost look clueing Paige in. She was worried about them being seen together. Truth be told, so was Paige, more because of 'A' than any real desire to hide.

"Hey." Paige dropped her bag on the floor, taking Emily's hand in hers. "I already told you, I don't care who knows we're friends. I'm not ashamed of you, Em. It's just the other stuff I want to be careful about."

"I got it." Emily's spirits seemed bolstered though there was still a sadness that Paige's words hadn't erased. "Are you busy tonight?"

"Pru wants to hang out."

"Oh." Emily's crestfallen look tugged at Paige.

"I can reschedule," Paige offered, her desire to make things okay winning out over all else.

"I don't want you to do that."

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure whatever rom-com she was going to make me watch will be just as mindless later."

"Do you want to come over to my place?"

"Sure." Paige's watch beeped, she was supposed to be the gym by now. "I'd better get moving and you're going to be late for class." A quick check of the immediate area yielded no stragglers and Paige leaned forward planting a quick kiss on soft lips. "I'll see you at practice."

The smile was genuine this time, Emily squeezing her arm as she headed out of the locker room. Paige changed quickly, leaving her bag and clothes strewn about the bench as she made a dash for the bathroom. Her phone buzzed as she headed back to her locker and Paige flipped it open, expecting a text from her mom.

**Your mother doesn't work here. You should learn to tidy up after yourself.-A**

Paige rifled through her clothes, checking her pockets for anything missing. Wallet, keys, everything was in place. Except...oh, shit. Paige unzipped her bag, frantically tearing apart the contents. Nothing.

The card was gone.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimers:** If I told you I _did_ own them, would you believe me? Nah. Me either.

**Author's Note**: This chapter contains spoilers up to Season 1, Episode 20, "Someone to Watch Over Me". Since I have the worst of luck posting links at the best of times, I'll try this again but I make no guarantees. The Batman geek tweet, c'est ici: tinyurl dot com **/8j6xyw3**

Don't forget to tip your bards. If you take the time to read, do us authors a solid and take the extra second to review.

Thank you, everyone for the faves/follows and reviews. Much appreciated! I direct reply to a review when I can, if I can't, please know it still means the world to me.

Enjoy!

**888**

Knowing that obsessing over the card wouldn't make it reappear, Paige shoved her gear into her locker and headed for the gym. Her lesson with Sean went well, the awkwardness of their date gone awry had gone to be replaced with an easy friendship. Her last class passed in somewhat of a daze as Paige tried to work through 'A's strategy. What bothered her most was that, whoever 'A' was, they were familiar enough with her to move in and out of her life with ease. How could she be so oblivious to someone who was tracking her life so intensely?

When the final bell rang, Paige pulled out her cell phone to cancel her plans with Pru nearly slamming headlong into the girl in question.

"Hey, we still on for tonight?"

"Oh, sorry." Paige held up the phone. "I was just texting you, can I get a rain check? My dad wants me home."

Pru rolled her eyes. "He does realize that eventually he's going to have to put a little slack in your leash, right?"

"Pru."

"I'm just saying..." Pru held up her hands in defence. "See you tomorrow?"

"Sure thing."

Paige headed on to practice, the locker room already half filled with her teammates. Emily was at her locker, chatting with their relay partners.

"Hey there, Cap'n," Emily greeted.

"Hardy har, Fields. What's up?" Paige asked looking between the grinning trio. She sensed conspiracy afoot.

"We were thinking about organizing a team social. Maybe a movie? Everyone's working together really well in the pool, we thought it might be a good idea to bring the team together outside the locker room?"

"I like it. What about Friday after the meet? Team dinner? Pizza?"

"I'll spread the word," Vicky said, giving Paige a loose salute and taking Chloe with her as she headed for the pool. Paige watched them go, amazed at how easily they acquiesced when the last time she had suggested team dinner, most everyone had dug in there heels. She knew the reason was standing beside her, grinning widely.

"How's the pizza going to fit into your diet plan there, McCullers?"

Paige smirked, glad that -even with the 'other' stuff going on- she could just talk jock with Emily as well. "Don't worry, I'll burn some extra calories kicking your butt just so I can eat a couple of pieces."

"Dream on."

They walked from the change room together, throwing themselves eagerly into practice. Coach Fulton worked them hard, picking out the areas where they had failed during Friday's meet and drilling them until they got it right.

Paige enjoyed the entire practice, Fulton's coaching style making the most of their time. It was a complete contrast to Keith's 'watch now, correct later' approach. Fulton took turns with each of them, walking alongside and offering corrections in the water that Paige actually had time to implement. Everyone seemed satisfied by the end, Coach included, and spirits had definitely been restored as they walked into the locker room.

Once showered and changed, Paige followed Emily out to the parking lot. "Meet you at my place?"

"Sure thing, be there in a few." Paige took her usual shortcuts avoiding traffic lights by cutting through the various parks that littered the small town. Her bike rolled up beside Emily's car just as the girl put it in park.

"Did you teleport over? How'd you get here so fast?"

"I'm a superstar, Fields. Haven't you figured that out yet?" Paige asked with a wink, rolling her bike up the walkway and on to Emily's porch. She left it leaning against the railing and followed Emily inside. The house was warm and inviting, the smell of fresh cookies causing a nearly instant rumble in Paige's stomach.

"Geeze, McCullers, what's in there?" Emily poked at her grumbling tummy with a laugh as they walked to the kitchen.

"Some of us actually work at practice. I mean, not that you would know but..."

"Oh, you're dead." Emily made good on the threat, capitalizing on Paige's weakness as she tried to wrangle herself out of her backpack. Hands tied up in the straps, she was unable to defend against the tickle attack that had her immediately squirming, trying to avoid nimble fingers as Emily targeted her ribcage. "Say 'uncle'!"

"No way, Fields!" She struggled as valiantly as she could, giving in only when she hit the floor, unable to move for fear of being tickled to the point of embarrassing consequences. "All right, all right, 'uncle'."

"That's what I thought." Emily offered a hand to haul her up, sneaking in a quick kiss before she moved behind the counter to plate some cookies. "I can't believe 'The Great Paige McCullers' is ticklish," Emily said as she reached into the fridge to pull out milk. "Now I know how to keep you in line."

"With great power comes great responsibility," Paige advised solemnly, unable to help the grin that broke out.

"You're a nerd." The inflection made the statement more of a question.

"I like comic books," Paige hedged. Tales of heroes and villains? They were modern day epics.

"It's cute." Emily headed for the living room, two large glasses of milk in her hands while Paige had been trusted with the plate of cookies. Settling their snacks on the coffee table, Emily pulled two DVDs from the shelf.

"Which one first?" A copy of both 'Rudy' and 'The Last Unicorn' were presented to Paige.

"Where did you even find that?" Paige asked, pointing at the cartoon.

"Hannah and I went shopping this weekend; I thought we could make a night of it."

"Have you seen it?"

"Not in forever." Emily pulled the DVD from its case. "If I end up crying, it's your fault." When the movie was in and cycling through the mandatory privacy warnings, Emily sat down, pulling her legs under her.

"Where's your mom?"

"Thursdays are busy for her." Emily snagged the biggest cookie on the plate, sticking out her tongue at Paige's mock affronted look. "She has yoga at six and then she does the Dash and Dine."

"Dash and Dine?"

"Yeah, her running group goes on a training run and then out for supper. It's good for her to get out of the house. Keeps her mind off my Dad being so far away."

"I bet that's hard, for both of you." Paige had heard Emily speak of her father and it was obvious she idolized him.

"It is." Emily played absently with the cookie. "I try not to talk about it with her, you know, stay upbeat? It's been hard for her these last few years with everything that's been going on. But it doesn't always work. I used to get so scared when I'd hear about what was happening over there. When there was an attack and someone was killed, they'd black out the bases so the military would have time to notify families before it hit the news. Every time those blackouts happened, I just wondered, is this it? Is there going to be some soldier knocking on my door?"

Emily looked so lost, so young, in that moment that it broke Paige's heart. Out of her depth in most emotional situations, she had no real idea what to do. Settling on what she thought would have made her feel better, she reached over to take Emily's woefully abused cookie and put it back on the plate. She offered her arms to Emily who sank into the hug, head resting against Paige's shoulder as they reclined on the couch.

"It's better, now that he's in Texas, but they could send him back whenever they want. It still gives me nightmares sometimes."

"If you ever need to talk about it, I'm here," Paige offered, glad she'd gotten something right as she felt Emily relax against her, body weight pleasantly pinning her down.

"Thanks." Emily didn't release the hug, instead settling in for the long haul as she used the remote to start the movie. Paige tightened her hold, resting her head against Emily's as they lay in companionable silence. The length of the movie found them in much the same position, Emily only pushing herself up when the credits began to roll, wiping discreetly at red eyes.

"Supper then 'Rudy'?"

"You, uh… you're going to cook?" Paige asked as delicately as she could, not sure her stomach was up to a full meal of Emily's culinary offerings.

"No, I'm going to microwave. We have leftovers. And what did you mean by that, McCullers?"

"Nothing," Paige assured with what she hoped was a genuine smile.

"Why don't I believe you?" Emily poked her in the side. "You said you liked my muffins."

"I did!"

"Liar. They were horrible."

"No! Honestly… I love my muffins flat and charred." Unable to contain her laughter, Paige wasn't surprised when Emily launched at her, fingers targeting sensitive ribs as the tickle war renewed. Grabbing Emily's wrists -determined to keep some form of dignity- Paige wrestled for control. Emily used her body weight to push back, the tone of the moment changing almost instantly as their eyes locked. Paige relinquished her hold, reaching up to tuck rich hair behind Emily's shoulders. "Hey."

She remembered being in a similar position, not so long ago. It was a terrifying and as exhilarating now as it was then.

"Hey."

Emily leaned down, brushing a light kiss against her lips. Paige smiled into the kiss as Emily's body settled against hers, the now familiar weight a comfort. Long moments later –despite Paige's protest_ Emily pushed herself up, eyes narrowing at something just beyond Paige's field of vision.

"You're flashing."

"Huh?" Paige asked, knowing it wasn't her best offering but it was all she was capable of considering her present position.

"Your phone, it's flashing."

Paige groaned, blindly reaching out for the device that lay somewhere on the floor. Pru. She was tempted to let it go to voicemail but the girl would likely try her house line and that would cause all levels of drama.

"Hold that thought?" Paige asked weakly, not missing the way Emily's eyebrow rose in disbelief. "Pru, hey, what's..."

"Where the hell are you?!"

Paige flinched at the yell, pulling the phone away. "What are you talking about? I'm at..."

"Let me guess, you're 'at home'. Want to explain why your dad just called from there, looking for you?"

Damn.

"He's been trying your cellphone for twenty minutes. I told him you were in the bathroom but you'd better call him back before he drives over here to check."

"Pru..."

"Don't! I don't know why you lied but whatever it is, I hope it was worth it." The phone went dead. Pru had hung up on her. Double damn.

"What was that about?"

"Not sure." Paige checked her call log, frowning at the three missed calls. She had left her phone on silent after school. Double damn. "I have to call my Dad."

Emily sat up, pushing herself in to the opposite corner of the couch while Paige dialled her land line. "Hey, Dad, what's up?"

"Paige, why aren't you answering your phone?"

"I set it on silent for school and I forgot to turn the ringer back on after practice. Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine. I was calling to let you know you have a practice session with Keith tomorrow morning at five thirty."

"Before school? Dad that's..."

"Exactly what you need to get you back on track after a showing like last week."

Paige frowned; she had little enough free time as it was. An early morning session with Keith would barely allow her to make practice with the Sharks on time. She'd miss out on warm-ups with Emily. "Can we do it in the evenings instead?"

"No, we were lucky to land this. One of his swimmers broke her arm, she had the five thirty slot."

"Okay, I guess."

"You guess? Paige, I'm beginning to question your commitment. If you're not..."

"I'm committed, Dad. Really." Paige rubbed at her temples to massage out the sudden headache she could feel forming behind her eyes. "Five thirty tomorrow, I got it."

"Good, we'll speak more about it tomorrow at dinner."

"Okay." The word had barely left her mouth when the phone went dead.

"You okay?"

"I guess. My dad was just calling to let me know he's scheduled the rest of my life for me."

Emily squeezed her hand. "Why was Pru so angry?"

"My dad called her place looking for me."

"You didn't tell her you were coming here?"

"No, I..."

Emily stood, looking hurt. "I thought you wanted to be open about our friendship?"

"I did! I do!"

"Then what..."

"I didn't want to hurt Pru's feelings about bailing on her and she was already busting my chops about Sean. I just told her I was going home. I swear, I wasn't trying to hide you." Paige stood, reaching out to take Emily's hand.

For her part, Emily didn't look like she fully believed the explanation but chose to let it go. "So, what's this about scheduling the rest of your life?"

"My dad's got me in swim sessions with Keith before morning practice."

"Paige, you're already at school at six thirty," Emily argued, as if that made a difference to Nick McCullers.

"I know. Keith's early morning opened up, some damn weakling broke her arm. I'll probably have the slot for the next six weeks."

"Doesn't that get expensive?"

"Nothing but the best for the McCullers." Paige was unable to keep the sarcasm from her tone.

"You don't sound like you want that much time in the water."

"I'd certainly rather take extra lessons with Coach instead but that's not what's on the table." Paige had no choice, she had to pick her battles. Paige waved it off, unwilling to let tomorrow's problem ruin today. "C'mon, you promised me leftovers."

They ate and watched the second movie, Paige doing her best not to mist up at the end, Emily making no such effort. It was nearly ten when Paige reluctantly pushed herself from her comfortable position on the couch.

"I had a good time," Paige said as Emily walked her to the front door.

"Even though I almost set the microwave on fire?"

"Yes, even though you almost burned the house down, I still had a good time." Paige leaned forward, dropping a quick kiss on Emily's lips. "I'll see you later."

"Good night." Emily closed the door and Paige waited to hear the lock engage before she hauled her bike off the porch and headed for home. Paige rolled into her driveway ten minutes later, her mom on the couch watching TV, her dad likely already in bed reading.

"Hey, honey, how was the movie?"

"Nothing to write home about." Paige felt bad about lying to her mother but she knew that letting one piece of the truth out would probably mean unravelling the whole web of lies. "I'm going to head to bed, I have practice with Keith at five thirty."

"Good idea." Her mother turned off the TV, kissing Paige on the cheek as she passed on the way to the stairs. "Goodnight."

"'Night, Mom." Paige dropped her gear on her bedroom floor, dialling Pru's number as she booted up her laptop. She received no response by the third try, each call ringing just long enough to let Paige know Pru was intentionally ignoring her. Giving it up for the night, she concentrated on her next task, looking up the information from Coach's card.

Her jaw tightened at the thought of the missing card, it was liable to show up at the worst of times. Her handwriting was unmistakeable and if her parents found it, she had no good lie for it being in her possession. 'A' had their official ace in the hole. Paige needed to come out, sooner rather than later, before 'A' did it for her.

The website pulled up a number of local resources, some of them as nearby as Sheridan campus, the local 'last chance' college for rich kids who had failed out of better schools. That wasn't ideal, her father knew a number of the staff from that campus as well as Hollis. Showing up to the gay resource center was bound to be risky. Damn.

By the time she was done searching, Paige could barely keep her eyes open, book marking the best items in a folder buried deep in her hard drive. A selective wipe of her history left no evidence of where she had been surfing, not at a level that her technology challenged father would be able to trace.

Satisfied she had made some progress, Paige shut down the computer and prepared for bed, trying Pru one last time before calling it a night. She responded to Emily's 'goodnight' text, smiling brightly as she typed. As much as she was coming out for herself, it would be a lie to say Emily wasn't influencing the timing. The desire to be with her, to make Emily proud of her, was nearly on par with Paige's desire to simply 'be'. The thought that she might one day, soon, accomplish her goal led Paige into a peaceful sleep.

**888**

Frowning at the ludicrously early hour as her alarm clock blared, Paige forcibly rolled herself out of bed on Thursday morning. She didn't bother pulling her hair back, merely tugged a 'Rosewood Sharks' ball cap on and headed for the stairs. Her mother wasn't in the kitchen but her breakfast had been laid out, oatmeal prepped and waiting for the microwave. Ten minutes saw her at the table, bowl nearly finished as she flipped through her latest set of bike magazines.

She circled the new parts she wanted, including a new derailer to replace the one she had bent in the crash. It hadn't switched gears fluidly since and the chain needed to be replaced as well. By five she was out the door and on her bike, breathing out thick puffs of air as she headed for Keith's pool.

Twenty five minutes of peddling across the most challenging of the Rosewood Valley saw her locking her bike to the stand outside the club house. She was changed and in the pool by five thirty on the nose, mentally preparing herself for Keith's coaching style. The hour long session was needlessly tiresome, Keith no doubt trying to prove a point at her father's insistence. Paige took it in stride, finishing strong though the idea of biking to school and having another hour of practice left her less than thrilled.

She left the facility at quarter to seven, just enough time to bike across town, lock up and get in the pool for practice.

Paige rolled up to school at quarter past seven, tossing her lock on her bike and sprinting for the natatorium. She bypassed the locker room completely, stripping out of her warm ups and kicking off her shoes as she walked across the pool deck. The majority of her teammates were already in the water, Emily included. Damn, she wouldn't even get the chance to sneak in a 'good morning' kiss. Already in a foul mood and working on a caffeine headache, Paige dove in, surfacing near Emily who waved 'hello'.

They didn't get much chance beyond that to interact, Coach splitting the team to run their drills more effectively. By the end of practice, she had exhausted her energy supply, body long burned through her meagre morning meal.

"Hey," Em greeted, looking down at Paige from the pool deck as she wrapped a towel around her body.

"Hey." Paige hauled herself up, eyes closed, the bright overheads threatening to turn her headache into a full blown migraine.

"How was your training session?"

"About as much fun as I thought it would be," Paige answered, collecting her haphazardly strewn gear from the bleachers. Evidently even 'A' couldn't teach her to keep her crap together.

"You look exhausted."

"Then I look about as good as I feel." She realized how curt she sounded when Emily stepped back.

"Sorry, Em."

"It's okay." Emily waved it off.

"No, it's not. Really, I'm sorry. I've got a pounding headache and these lights are killing me."

"You haven't eaten yet, have you?" Emily grabbed Paige's jacket for her, waiting for Paige to precede her into the change room.

"I did but a cup of oatmeal doesn't stretch far enough for three hours of training."

"If you hurry, we can grab something from the cafeteria."

"I can't, I have to take a hot shower or I'll seize up in class. I packed an extra lunch, I'll just eat after Chemistry. Thanks though." They split off in the change room, Emily heading to dry her hair while Paige organized her gear into some semblance of order. By the time she was ready to shower, Emily was changed and on the move.

"I'm going to meet up with Spencer to ask about some algebra questions, see you in Chem?"

"Sure thing." Paige couldn't deny the pang of disappointment at the way her morning was shaping up. She had rushed from one end of town to the other, totalled her body and she hadn't even gotten the chance to hang out with Emily.

"This sucks," she muttered, walking to the showers. When she was finally dry and presentable, Paige made her way to her locker, Pru nowhere to be found. Pru was still pissed. Great. She'd have to deal with it later, she was two minutes away from racking up a tardy and Paige didn't need detention on top of everything else.

Pru was already seated when Paige walked in, nose deep in her cell phone. Paige offered up the best smile she could for Emily, choosing to ignore the customary daggers Hastings shot at her as she made her way by. She didn't have the energy to get her hate on this morning.

A steaming cup of coffee sat on her desk next to a yogurt cup with a post it note stuck to the top. Paige flipped up the note, smiling as she read the short message.

"**Good morning. Xoxo.**"

Paige's eyes met Emily who winked at her before turning her attention back to her friends. She couldn't help the grin that crept onto her face, the taste of hot coffee and the caring attention of one Emily Fields washing away the worst of the morning.

The rest of the day passed quickly, evening practice called off to allow the team time to rest before the meet the next day. Paige found Emily at her locker -unusually alone- and they walked together down the emptying halls.

"Oh, check it out!" Emily stopped in front of one of the many poster boards. "The Suspicious Packages are playing at Hollis next weekend!"

"I know, I tried to get us tickets but they're already sold out." Paige had been one moment elated to have found a concert so close to home then bummed to find out the popular duo had filled the house only a few days after tickets had been released. She had wanted to offer the tickets as a sort of peace offering during their 'just friends' stage, an apology for not agreeing to attend the Philly concert.

"You didn't tell me that."

"Well, I didn't get them so..."

"It was really cool of you to try." Emily took a quick look around the empty hall before kissing Paige's cheek. Her response was an immediate blush, still unable to fully accept that she and Emily were actually an item. If anyone had told her it was possible six weeks ago, hell, even last week, she would have kneecapped them for getting her hopes up. In a twisted way, she had 'A' to thank for it. Their constant push and pull had dragged her and Emily together, despite how Paige had fought it in the beginning. "So, what're you up to tonight?"

"Homework. We'll be out tomorrow after the meet so I should spend some time at home to make sure my dad doesn't think I'm slacking off."

"I wish he didn't push you so hard."

"I'm used to it. He just wants to make sure I have the best platform to stand on," Paige parroted his words as she pushed open the door that let them out to the parking lot.

"Between swimming, field hockey and the advanced placement courses, you should be sitting on a pretty good platform by now."

"Fingers crossed." They stopped at Paige's bike and she pulled her helmet off her bag to secure it to her head.

"I'm glad you're wearing this." Emily gave a knock on the helmet.

"I hear girls these days aren't into road rashed vegetables."

"You hear right, McCullers. Do you want me to bring coffee tomorrow?"

"I don't think so. I don't get out of my lesson with Keith until about six forty five, by the time I hit the locker room here, I should already be in the pool."

Emily didn't hide her mild disappointment with the news and Paige wished there was some way to make it better. Sadly, until the injured swimmer was ready to reclaim her spot, she was out of luck.

"See you at practice then." Paige gave her hand a brief squeeze, watching as Emily headed to her car and took off.

The ride home was at an easy pace, her body well worked from the constant shuffle during the day. Dinner was just about on the table when she arrived and she claimed her place, mouth watering at the smell of chicken.

"How was your day, Honey?" Her mother asked, setting the plate of meat in front of Paige first.

"Good, Keith did a lot of conditioning today and Coach Fulton focused more on technique for the meet tomorrow. It was a good balance."

"How do you feel?" Her father asked, passing her the bowl of vegetables.

"I'm okay. I think tomorrow will be the real tell. I drank all of my shakes and stretched everything out."

"Spend some time in the hot tub tonight before bed, keep loose," he advised.

"Sounds good. Hey, Dad, you know people at Hollis right? In student events?"

He had organized a number of campus events for the church and -networker that he was- had made fast friends with people in the admin department.

"Yes, I'm familiar with Scott Downing, why?"

"There's a concert next week and the tickets were sold out. I was just wondering if you could see if there might be a couple extra somewhere." She couldn't get out of early morning practice but maybe she could lift Emily's mood a little with the concert.

"For you and Sean?" The mild hope in his voice unmistakeable. Paige was tempted to lie, simply use Sean as her, but she couldn't. It wouldn't be fair to Emily and she needed to start taking baby steps toward her end goal.

"Actually it's for Emily and me." Paige tried to drop the name as casually as possible. Like it was no big deal in the McCullers household for her to hang out with a girl who was both her biggest competitor and a lesbian. She spared a glance for her dad who wasn't pleased by the news. Maybe asking hadn't been such a good idea.

"Honey, didn't you say there was someone else you wanted to take who needed a ticket?" her mother asked as she loaded her plate.

Paige looked at her, confused, until the slight tilt of her mother's head told her to go with it. It took a second to click in before Paige nodded, accepting the discreet nudge.

"Yeah, Troy... Sattler," she said, mentioning a boy she knew in passing from church. "But I figured it was easier to get two tickets than three. He said he had a friend who might be able to grab him one," Paige qualified, turning to smile at her father. He didn't seem completely mollified by the answer but he also didn't launch into a lecture about appearances.

"I'll see what I can do."

They spent the rest of supper discussing her training schedule, agreeing that -even with the extra swimming- she was still allowed to train with Sean. Paige had a sneaking suspicion that was more for her father's peace of mind than her benefit but she went with it anyway. They discussed the meet, Rosewood set to face a particularly strong team from a Philly suburb. It would be a difficult competition but winnable if everyone was on their game. When dinner was done, her mother began to clear the table and Paige pulled out her textbooks to study, needing the extra space to sprawl as she dug through her notes.

"Why don't you grab Scott's card from my office and I'll leave a message now, before I forget," her father said as he settled in to finish his newspaper.

"Sure thing." Happy that he was willing to help, Paige hopped up and headed into the familiar office. She had spent many hours of her childhood in the large room, doggedly plugging away at her homework. A child sized desk sat in the corner, her father's front and center. She used to love being in his space, feeling grown up and connected, always able to ask for his help. Paige couldn't remember the exact moment that changed, when she moved from his space to the table and eventually to the isolation of her own room. Though Paige had long outgrown the desk, it was still tucked in its corner, her small shelf of classics still in place.

Pushing away the nagging sense of melancholy, Paige headed for her dad's rolodex. She flipped through, pulling out the card with the familiar Hollis logo. She knew it would be more efficient for her father to simply program all the numbers into his phone. Still, he refused to do so for all but the most essential numbers, preferring hard pen and paper to electronics.

Many of the cards were worn and weathered, testament to years of use. The newer cards stood out starkly amongst the faded colours of the older cards as she flipped through, enjoying the feel of aged paper. Wait... Paige flipped back to a dull card that had been sandwiched against an obviously new one. That was weird, her dad was meticulous about his filing. Paige pulled the cards free, heart dropping as she recognized the newer of the two. It was the resource card Coach Fulton had given to her. She peeled the card off, pursing her lips at the phone number written in her sprawled script.

Son of a bitch.

Paige had to give 'A' points for execution. Knowing her father and his near OCD level of organization, it wouldn't have taken more than a few days from him to find the card. Which raised a better question, how much did 'A' know about her family? Their habits? The card had gone missing no more than twenty four hours ago. How the hell had 'A' gotten it in place?

Paige hurriedly pocketed the card, placing the original back in its spot. Her father walked in just as she was closing the Rolodex.

"Have trouble finding it?"

"No." Paige said, a touch too quickly, fidgeting under his questioning stare. "No. I was just, remembering when I used to work in here." Paige pointed to her desk, her freshly shined name block sitting atop it. Her father smiled, the first one she'd seen in ages that wasn't about swimming or school, or sports. It was just about her.

"I remember. You used to curl up in that chair every morning and read the funny papers while you ate your cereal." He motioned to one of the large wingback chairs that sat in front of his desk. Paige smiled at the shared memory, they would often sit side by side, working together on the newspaper as they ate their breakfasts. Her love of books, of music, had been born here as she listened to her father read the classics aloud before reading them in her own turn. They had been her saviours during her darkest hours, when she felt she couldn't turn to a god she had been taught would hate her.

It had been so much simpler then.

Knowing those days were far behind them, Paige handed over the card, moving slowly past her father who seemed caught in memories of his own as she walked away.

**888**

Friday morning passed much the same as Thursday, Paige bodily tossing herself out of bed and heading for practice with Keith. By six forty five, she was changed, hair dry enough to go out in the cold, heading for the parking lot. The lesson had been frustrating to say the least, Keith attempting to correct the corrections Coach Fulton had made on her technique. She had fought the criticism until she realized it was akin to talking to a brick wall, adjusting to his style for as long as it took to get through the lesson.

At least she had remembered a protein bar, choking down the dense substance as she walked out into the cold air. It was gross, she could taste the aspartame and she knew that was bound to bring a headache of its own within the hour. Wonderful.

Her lock stuck as she tried to free her bike and she was forced to kick at it to get it loose, yet another early morning fail. It wasn't even seven o'clock yet. Finally set to ride, Paige rolled her bike off the sidewalk, blinking against the bright lights of the car across the street. Emily was leaning casually against the car door, two cups of coffee in hand.

"Em? What're you doing here?"

"Besides freezing my butt off? I thought I'd make sure you got your morning caffeine." Emily shivered, reluctantly handing over one of the hot cups. "My mom woke me up early looking for her yoga pants. Don't get used to it," Emily warned. Paige sipped from the cup, pleasantly surprised to find it full of cream. "Toss your bike in the back seat, it's too cold to ride to school."

"I rode here." Paige handed over her coffee nonetheless, popping off the quick release tire and sliding the bike easily into the back seat.

"Whatever, McCullers, you're a Superstar, now get in before we both freeze to death."

Paige obliged, getting into the front seat, relaxing in the warmth of the vehicle. Emily gave her back her coffee, leaning over to claim a quick kiss. "Good morning, Paige."

Yeah, suddenly it was.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: **You know the drill.

**Author's Notes:** Apologies for the ridiculously late update, I had planned to get this chapter up before going away for a work conference and that just didn't happen.

Considering I'm following canon, you know what's coming. Brace yourselves, hold your teddy bear, do what you gotta do, we're going in. This chapter contains spoilers up to Season 1, Episode 20, "Someone to Watch Over Me".

Don't forget to tip your bards. If you take the time to read, do us authors a solid and take the extra second to review.

Thank you, everyone for the faves/follows and reviews. Much appreciated!

Enjoy!

**888**

The end of morning practice found Paige at her locker, Pru already taking off down the hall toward class. "Pru, wait up."

Pru turned to her, weariness written across her face. "What?"

"Hey, what's going on? I've been calling you since Wednesday."

"Really? Was that before or after you got home from the magical place that wasn't my house?"

"I didn't know my Dad would call you."

"You know what? I don't even care about that. I've got your back, that's what friends do. They don't lie to each other so they can sneak around doing God knows what."

"Pru..."

"You weren't with Sean that day I covered for you, or the date before that. Were you?"

"I never said that I was," Paige defended weakly, knowing that an omission of truth essentially boiled down to the same as a lie.

"Don't, just... don't. All you had to do was say there was someone else. I would have run interference and I certainly wouldn't have shoved Sean at you."

"Pru, I..." Paige looked for a way to explain her actions that wouldn't leave her completely exposed.

"Who is it?"

"What?"

"You've put me through all this, I deserve to know. Who you are hiding? Why are you hiding him? Is he some punk rocker? Jewish? Poor? I get lying to your dad, but what's so bad about this guy that you can't talk to me about him?"

"Pru, I can't explain. I need..."

"Time. Yeah, I've been hearing that for awhile. Well, guess what? You can take all the time you need, I'm done asking." With that, Pru was headed down the hall, ignoring Paige's call to wait.

"Damn it." Paige made her way to class, Emily's smile the only friendly overture as she passed Hastings and her usual glare, Pru pointedly ignoring her. Fantastic.

Thankfully, her morning classes were particularly packed, the dense material leaving Paige little time to worry over Pru's hurt feelings and Hastings' likely plotting of her demise. Her cellphone buzzed just as she opened her locker to grab lunch, her father's message confirming that he had gotten three tickets to the Suspicious Packages concert. Excited to share the news -and free for lunch since Pru was freezing her out- Paige tracked Emily down. She found the other girl passing through the courtyard, her usual companions nowhere to be seen. Feeling emboldened by the relative quiet of the courtyard, Paige grabbed Emily's arm, pulling her into an alcove.

"What are you doing?" Emily asked, laughing lightly.

"I got them. I got the tickets."

"No way! I thought they were sold out."

"My dad knows somebody at Hollis who works for college events."

"Awesome, how much was it?"

Paige stopped her as she reached into her purse, her gentle squeeze meant to keep Emily from trying to pay. "My treat. Isn't that why they call it a date?"

"Those tickets were expensive."

"Em, I can handle two tickets." Paige paused, hoping to slip the next bit in under the radar. "Troy Sattler will pay for his own."

"Wait, Troy Sattler is coming too?" Emily pulled her hand away, confusion and disappointment evident.

"Emily, you know I want to be alone with you but I got the tickets through my dad and I just thought if a guy came along..." Paige trailed off, no longer quite so grateful to her mom for the save. The plan had always been to ditch Troy at the concert but at this point, even that seemed like it would go over like a lead ballon. "I'm not pretending to date Troy," Paige assured. "He's just like, insurance. Look, I really wanna have that talk with my dad, I do. I even went online and looked for like, what to say. "

"What? You're going to come out to your parents through email?"

Paige fought the urge to roll her eyes at the absurdity of the suggestion. She was emotionally dense, yes, but even she knew better than that. "No. Sheridan prep has a campus pride group with a website. It's not like I can go to a meeting though. Their school is like two miles from here."

"Then meet someone from the group for a coffee."

Spilling her guts to a total stranger? That held about as much appeal as a root canal. There was already been more than enough of strangers messing around in her personal life, thank you very much. Her fear must have shown on her face, Emily taking a quick look around before reclaiming her hand.

"Would it help if I went with you?"

The somewhat shy offer was too sweet to ignore and Paige found herself nodding in agreement despite herself.

"Okay, is tomorrow good? Do you have a lesson?"

"Nope." Emily's hopeful smile was infectious, buoying Paige's good mood. "I have weekends off now that I'm doing five days a week. I'm supposed to practice," Paige admitted. "But I can do that at home or at Rosewood Public."

"I'm available all day. Set up a time and let me know tonight, okay?"

Squeezing Emily's hand in thanks, Paige wished she were in a position to kiss her but knew that was pushing the limits. The alcove wasn't that concealed. Soon, maybe. This could all be over.

"I'll see you after school? We can do a few drills before the meet?"

"It's a date."

Paige's grin nearly split her face. A final squeeze and she was off to hit the gym, performing a light workout before her session with Sean. The boxing lesson left her energized and by the time the final bell rang, Paige was amped for the meet, ready to erase the embarrassingly poor performance of the previous week. Emily was already in the water when Paige arrived, the other girl swimming lazy laps to warm up without putting needless strain on her muscles. Paige dove in neatly beside her, matching Emily's easy pace as they worked through their laps. When they had completed their initial warm ups, waiting for the others to arrive, they bobbed at the edge of the pool.

"I don't remember their starter," Emily said.

"She's a long legged powerhouse."

Emily would be hard pressed to keep pace with her opposition. Paige would be equally matched, swimming against a lanky whippet of a girl whose long arms gave her an advantage when it came to the final lap. It wouldn't be enough to keep even, Paige needed to outpace the girl by at least an arm length to make up for the extra reach.

"Level with me, what are our chances, Captain?"

"If everyone keeps a cool head and tight form, we've got a good shot." It would be a hard win, just as Philly had been. But, a win tonight would prove that the Sharks were a team to be reckoned with and that would keep them on the recruit radar. "Nervous?"

"A little. With the way we did last week…"

"That was then, this is now. We're ready. And, lucky for you, I have a secret trick for nerves." Taking a shallow breath, Paige dropped below water level. Emily followed her down, the question in her eyes evident, even beneath the goggles. Paige leaned forward, one hand on Emily's cheek as she pressed their lips together. She felt Emily smile into the kiss, the escaping air bubbles tickling Paige's nose as they rose to the top. They surfaced, laughing together as Paige splashed at Emily, determined to keep her relaxed. Nerves were one thing, performance paralyzing anxiety was another.

When Emily's laugh stopped abruptly, Paige turned to find the cause, her own good cheer dying as she watched her father make his way across the deck.

"Hey, Dad." Paige pointedly tamped down on the sudden urge to distance herself from Emily in a fragile measure of defence.

"Hi, Mr. McCullers."

"Paige, Miss Fields. How's it looking today?" His gaze was on Paige, blue eyes speaking volumes. He wasn't pleased but was saving whatever he had to say until later. Southern etiquette demanded some measure of courtesy and he seemed determined to hold fast to his upbringing. At least her dressing down would be a private one this time.

"Good, we're looking good."

They were saved from further conversation as Coach Fulton and the team began to filter in. Nodding at her father, Paige pushed off the edge, swimming toward her team with Emily in tow. They finished their warm up, prepped and ready to win by the time the competition dove in for their own drills.

"I think the troops could use a speech, Captain," Coach Fulton said as she passed to greet the coach of the other team.

"Right." More public speaking. Wonderful. "Uh." Paige faltered as she looked at the small group, her mind somewhere back with the close call and her father's hard stare. She needed to keep her head in the game. She couldn't afford another showing like last week, her father would lock her down. What if he kept her from Emily? The pressure of the moment weighed down on her and Paige found herself unusually weak under the weight of it. Emily sidled up beside her, leaning over to whisper in her ear.

"Tell them what you told me. Just don't use your secret trick."

A light shoulder bump and Paige felt the tight band around her chest loosen. She wasn't in this alone. They could win. They would win. She was a McCullers, it wasn't in her to fail.

"We did poorly last week and we all bear responsibility for that. But that was then, this is now. We beat Philly and everyone thought it was some kind of fluke. It wasn't. We're worthy of standing next to competition like that and today is the day we prove it. Stay calm, don't get frustrated. We're in this together."

She looked to Emily who gave her an approving nod, bright smile all the encouragement Paige needed.

"Sharks on three. One, two, three!"

"Sharks!"

**888**

Paige's grin followed her all the way from shower to locker room to hallway. Her teammates were similarly happy, their boisterous rough housing carrying them through their post meet ritual. Even her father had lost his sour look, giving Paige's shoulder a good natured shake as he pulled her toward Dean McNab and his daughter.

"Good job out there today, three tenths of a second away from a record. A few more weeks with Keith, you'll be the girl to beat in the whole state."

"Thanks, Dad." Paige's attention was only half on the conversation at hand as her eyes automatically searched for her Emily who she found enthusiastically hugging her mother. "We're going to head for pizza, Dad. A little team building. You're coming, right, McNab?"

"Yep, I'm driving a few of the freshmen in my car."

"Awesome, see you there."

McNab gave a small wave, hugging her father before heading off to collect her charges.

"How are you getting there?" her father asked.

"I was going to grab a ride with Emily. My bike'll fit in the back of her car."

His jaw tightened slightly at her admission but he didn't say anything in deference to the elder McNab's presence. "All right, I'll see you at home then."

"Okay, Dad. Bye!" Hurrying away before he had a chance to change his mind, Paige beelined for Emily who was still mid story about swimming her leg of the relay.

"Great job out there, Paige. You all looked wonderful." Mrs. Fields squeezed Paige's arm lightly. No qualifiers. No telling Paige she had done well but better was still on the horizon. It felt good. She appreciated that Mrs. Fields treated her as her own person, not just as the daughter of the man who had verbally attacked her little girl.

"Thanks, Mrs. Fields. We couldn't have done it without Emily, she gave us the lead we needed."

The swimmer in question blushed lightly, her mother's smile proud. "You girls have fun tonight. Bring me home a slice."

"Okay, Mom." With that, they left Mrs. Fields to make her way home, bypassing the back doors to head directly into the parking lot. Paige's bike was still tucked snugly in the backseat, the bright lights of the car interior reflecting off the gleaming metal that had been exposed in her crash. Paige pushed the memory of that night away, surprised by the sudden kick of dread that hit her in the stomach. She had far better things to concern herself with than 'A's' failed attempt at bumper cars.

"We're going to be state champs," Paige said, focusing her thoughts on the win and the excitement of the adrenaline that still coursed through her body. They were going to be state champs, she was going to get recruited and she was going to be able to have her pick of schools. Freedom. She could almost taste it.

"Well, we do have a pretty awesome Captain to get us there." Emily reversed out of the parking lot and put them on course for the pizza parlour. "I can't believe you out distanced that anchor, she was like a baby giraffe!"

"I know, right? She was not that tall at swim camp this summer. Someone has definitely been eating her Wheaties." Paige had felt like a hobbit next to Gandalf when she stood against her competitor on the block. Her phone beeped and she flipped it open, recognizing the number as the one attached to the Sheridan LGBT group. "Oh, uh, one of the Sheridan reps is available tomorrow at ten… is that okay?"

"I'm in if you're in. Your dad didn't look…"

"I'm in." Paige said, cutting off whatever thoughts Emily had about her father. He was going to go nuclear, one way or the other. No amount of coaching from some college kid could help that. There was no point dwelling on it. What was important was what came after. Emily reached over, taking Paige's hand and sparing a second to smile at her. Her entire thought process froze, mind still not accepting that this wasn't all some magical dream. That she was truly here, sitting next to Emily, fingers intertwined.

This. Peaceful, playful...happy. This is what came after.

Emily pulled in at the far end of the parking lot, the stall nearly obscured in the darkness of a broken street lamp. Paige's questioning glance lasted only a second before Emily undid her seat belt, reaching over to pull her in. The kiss was relatively chaste -it wouldn't do to look like they'd been making out in the car- but it set Paige's heart racing, the staccato beat hammering in her chest.

"You did great out there today," Emily said as she sat back, brushing Paige's ever obstinate bangs away from her eyes.

"I couldn't have done it without you. We make a pretty good team."

"We do." Another light kiss, lips whispering against one another in the cooling air of the car. "Speaking of, I guess we should get in there."

"Yeah, probably raise too many flags if we both blew off dinner."

"Maybe just a few. C'mon, Captain."

Paige grudgingly left the comfort of the car, shivering in the harsh chill of the late evening as she and Emily walked to the parlour.

Had it been only a week since she had been here with Sean? Everything felt different. Crisper. As though Paige had been looking at the world through dirty glass and Emily had wiped it clean, her vision suddenly bright and colourful.

"Care to share what's got you so smiley?" Emily asked, Paige holding the door open with an exaggerated bow.

"Nothing specific, I'm just…happy."

Emily's bright smile was impossible not to return as they walked toward their team. "Glad to hear it. C'mon, I believe there are some McCullers sized pizza slices in your future."

Paige's stomach rumbled appreciatively. "Amen to that."

They sat in the parking lot of Rosewood's central park, listening to the Suspicious Packages mix Emily had made for them, working through large cups of 'post pizza' ice cream.

"I think my stomach may literally explode," Paige said as she finished off the last of the ice cream. "I haven't eaten that much since you force fed me those cupcakes at our picnic."

"I did not force feed you, ya big fibber. You practically took my hand off grabbing that last one."

"Who knew coconut could be so delicious?" Paige defended. "Also, you're the messiest eater ever."

"I am not."

Paige reached over, turning the rear view mirror to face Emily who had managed to smear ice cream across her cheek.

"All right, fine."

Paige handed her a napkin, smirking as Emily tried unsuccessfully to wash her cheek. "C'mere." She cupped Emily's chin, gaze locked on deep brown eyes as she wiped at the ice cream. "There."

Emily's hand grasped hers, pulling Paige forward, murmuring a quiet "thanks" before she leaned in for the kiss. Paige wasn't sure how long it lasted, long enough for the windows to begin to fog in the fall air. It was the vibration in her purse that finally pried them apart, Paige leaning her forehead against Emily's as she let out a deep sigh. What now?

Paige checked the message, frowning at its contents.

"Uh oh, what's up?"

"Apparently I _do_ have practise with Keith tomorrow. At five thirty. Dad wants me home."

Emily frowned, eyes flicking to the car dash, it was barely ten. It was clear she was disappointed, Paige could understand why. On the converse side, she found it odd that Emily -raised in a prototypical military family- had never been subjected to Paige's level of structure.

"So, what about tomorrow?"

"Nothing's changed, Em. I'll be done with my lesson by eight. I'll bike home, get showered and meet you at the Apple Rose Grill at ten, just like we planned."

"Okay, good." Emily seemed somewhat satisfied with the answer, though something was obviously still on her mind.

"What's wrong?"

"Even if you come out, things aren't really going to change, are they?"

Paige didn't miss the 'if' but chose to ignore it, knowing the only way to prove she would come out was to go ahead and do it. "What do you mean?"

"Assuming your dad doesn't completely freak out and do everything he can to keep us apart, he's still going to be like this. He'll be dictating your every move, driving you into the ground. That's not going to change."

"He's my dad, Em, I don't get a lot of say in the matter," Paige countered, not certain why this was suddenly news to Emily. She had seen what he was like.

"I know, It's just… not fair. I like this, I like us, I just don't want it to be a constant fight. It's only been a week and I'm already having a hard time with it."

Paige's heart clenched at the defeat she could sense in Emily's tone, recognizing the very real possibility that her happy ending was about to slip through her fingers. She needed to buy time. "You're right, it's only been a week. Please, Em, don't give up on me yet. We have no idea how this'll turn out."

By this time next week -if things went as bad as she feared- she wouldn't have to worry about what her parents thought. The idea of being disowned brought about its own host of problems that threatened to pull Paige down into darkness. She pushed those fears to the back of her mind as she concentrated on keeping hold of a relationship that had quickly become the rock upon which she stood.

She loved Emily, had in some form or another for years. She had done her best to destroy it, first by lashing out at herself and then by lashing out at Emily. It had proved too resilient to kill, the shame that had once been attached to the emotion fading as she came to recognize her life was her own to live. It still scared her, the intensity of it, but she knew it for truth and now that Emily was within reach, she couldn't give her up.

"Let's just get through tomorrow, okay? I'll meet this Sheridan girl and come up with a solid plan for talking to my dad."

Emily nodded, letting out a heavy sigh as she turned over the ignition. It was a quick trip to Paige's house, Emily parking just past the porch, the garage giving them some measure of privacy. Paige unhooked her seatbelt and looked over at Emily who didn't seem to have anything to say. With no idea how to reassure her, Paige pushed open the door, the earlier glee sucked from her evening.

A quick manoeuvre had her bike out of the back seat and Paige snapped on her front tire. Emily got out to help, though there was little to do, leaning against her car as she watched Paige work. It was quickly done, the two of them staring at each other, neither knowing what to say.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Paige asked, no longer comfortable making the assumption that Emily would be with her.

"Yeah, I'll… see you then."

It was too open to risk anything more than reaching forward to squeeze Emily's hand, needing some physical assurance that they still had a chance. Emily squeezed back, briefly, dark eyes sad as she turned to walk away.

Paige watched her get into her car, a small wave sending Emily off, tail lights disappearing around the corner. A pang of regret tugged at her, she hadn't even gotten a chance to kiss Emily good night. Had she known then what was coming, no one -not her father, 'A', the Pope himself- would have stopped her from confessing the words that sat heavy in her chest.

**888**

Paige hit the swimming pool early, wanting a decent warm up before Keith put her through her paces. It was a gruelling practice, especially considering she had done a full meet the day before. She kept her mouth shut despite the over aggressive pace, any complaints were bound to make it back to her father.

She was out of the pool and back at home by eight, her parents up and about the house. Her mother was already elbow deep in mashed potatoes for the soup kitchen but took the extra minute to mix Paige a fresh protein shake.

A quick 'thank you', a passing 'good morning' to her father and Paige went downstairs to get ready. She finished what little homework she had in a flurry of paper, wanting to make sure there was no reason to hold her back. By the time she was showered and changed, it was nine thirty, a close cut to make it if she wanted to walk.

She hadn't heard from Emily since early morning but hopefully the other girl was still running on time. Paige double checked her email to make sure she hadn't been cancelled on. Nope. There was a confirmation in her inbox, directly from an organization rep, some woman named Samara. Paige rolled her eyes, hoping she wasn't about to end up with some hippie, neo flower kid who thought love was the answer to all problems.

Purse, wallet, cell phone, house keys. Yep, All good. Paige jogged upstairs and headed for the front closet.

"Hey, Honey, where you off to?"

"Just meeting a teammate for coffee," Paige said, tugging her jacket on.

"Which teammate?" her father asked, looking at Paige over the top of his newspaper.

"Emily." Paige refused to let him bait her into a lie.

"I don't think that's a good idea," he said, folding the paper as he stared over at her. Paige checked her watch, she was already running behind. Samara and Emily would be at The Grill any minute. She didn't have time for this.

"What? Why?"

"You know very well 'why', young lady."

"Dad…"

"Appearances are important, Paige. I've tolerated it this far because of your mother but I've had enough. You start associating too closely with Miss Fields and people will start to think you're like her."

"Like what, Dad? Caring? Compassionate? A good athlete?" She knew she was making her own grave by digging in her spurs but she had no interest in listening to her father pick Emily apart.

"You know damn well what I mean." He tossed the paper on to the table, pushing himself out of his seat.

"Nick," her mother admonished, stepping forward as if shield Paige from the harsh words.

"No. I've put up with this long enough. That young lady is bad news."

"Bad news?" Paige broke in. "Why? Because she's gay?"

He almost flinched at the word, his disgust evident.

"I won't let you make her into some kind of pariah. She's my friend."

"She's a bad influence. Before you started associating with her, you would never have…"

"What? Stood up for myself? Or just stood up to you?" Paige asked, every bit her father's daughter as she stood toe to toe of him, refusing to give ground.

"That's it, young lady, you're grounded. I don't accept the way you're speaking to me and I no longer trust your judgement. Give me your cellphone."

"No way." Paige stepped back, her every secret was tucked into the small device. He pulled his shoulders back, maximizing his height as he walked toward her.

"Paige, your cellphone." His hand was out, her mother standing silent between them. Paige looked to her for support. If it was there, her mother wasn't willing to break rank and go against him for it. Not in the open. She had no plan for this, no contingency, she needed a minute to regroup.

She tossed her purse on the sideboard table, pretending to search for her cellphone. She quickly popped the back off, thumb searching for the memory card, peeling it free of the phone. Her father huffed impatiently and Paige clicked the cover back into place, pulling the useless phone out and handing it to him. All her texts to Emily -and from 'A'- were on the memory card, he wouldn't get anything useful from the stock phone. One problem solved, Paige tromped toward the stairs, slamming her door on the way to the basement. She paused at the top step, waiting to see if her mother would defend her now that her parents were alone.

"What is the harm, Nick? They're friends."

"Friends? That girl is trying to corrupt our daughter, how can you not see that?"

"For God sake, she's sixteen, she's not the mastermind of the gay agenda. They swim on the same team, you're not going to be able to keep them apart."

"The hell I can't. The first thing I'm doing on Monday is calling St. Pius. I've had enough of this ridiculous public school nonsense."

Wait. What? No! Paige pressed her ear against the door.

"Don't be ridiculous! Do you really trust Paige's judgement so little that you would risk her future over this? St. Pius wouldn't have any idea what to do with an athlete of that calibre, it's why we put her in Rosewood High to begin with."

The voices became quieter as her parents moved away from the door. Damn it. Paige checked her watch. Ten thirty.

No.

She rested her head on the stairs, tears threatening for only a moment before Paige clenched her jaw, wiping her eyes clean. She had long ago learned to compartmentalize, a necessary survival trait that had developed from her time around Ali. First things first, damage control. She had to get in touch with Emily. She could use her laptop, now, before her Dad came to take it away. Paige hurried down the stairs, vaulting over her couch to get to her computer.

She booted up the machine, the whir of the internal motor seeming like it creeped along in slow motion.

"Come on, come on. Yes!" She was finally greeted with the welcome screen, tapping to open the text program. Her wi-fi kicked in as she typed, fingers flying across the keyboard, forming the best explanation she could. She clicked 'send' just as the small light blinked out, her connection winking out of existence.

No!

Her dad had killed the wi-fi. She searched fruitlessly for any unlocked networks, very nearly giving in to the urge to beat her head against the desk. She sat there for who knew how long, watching the tick of her laptop as time rolled from number to number. No doubt Emily thought she had chickened out, or worse, changed her mind completely. Even if she could explain, it wouldn't help Emily's opinion that Paige was too far under her father's thumb to be worth the effort. That thought was what broke her and she was unable to stop the tears that blurred her vision, Paige feeling nothing more than weak and pathetic in light of her failure.

Paige only truly registered time had passed when her mother called her to dinner, her obstinate nature demanding she refuse food for spite. Her mother seemed willing to give her space, her father less so, his heavy steps heralding his descent into the basement.

Paige wiped at her face, determined to cleanse all evidence that her father had managed to strike at a weak spot. He would hit it until she cracked.

"Your mother called you for dinner."

"I'm not hungry."

"Then you can sit and stare at your plate but you will be up at that supper table." His tone left no room for argument and he stared at her until she shut her computer down, reluctantly following him up the stairs. They sat in awkward silence while they waited for her mother to serve dinner. When all three were together, her mother set out the meal, not even attempting her usual peacekeeping.

"Would you like to tell me who keeps calling?" Her father asked quietly, her cellphone placed strategically at his elbow. Without the memory card, there were no contacts for him to search through.

"It's probably Emily. I missed coffee, I didn't call, I didn't text. She's probably worried." Paige stared at the small device, willing it to ring again. She would answer -she would defy him directly to get to Emily- but no such call came.

"Your mother and I have discussed this."

"Discussed what? I haven't done anything wrong. You just don't like one of my friends."

"You're right. I don't. I think she's presenting a bad example and if it were solely my decision, I'd have you moved from that school."

Paige's gut clenched. No. That couldn't happen. Leave Emily? Coach Fulton? Her team? To be fed into the strict stream of a private Catholic school? She couldn't do it. She wouldn't go back to shame and hatred and self doubt. Paige clenched her jaw, prepared to dig in for a fight.

"However, there are a number of other issues that need to be considered, including potential scholarship opportunities."

Paige knew he didn't care about the scholarship itself, her family was well off enough to pay for university. It was the prestige that came attached to such a scholarship that made it valuable. Her mom was right, at St. Pius she would be buried under a mediocre team who hadn't been actively recruited by any heavy hitters in years.

"We've come to a compromise."

We? Who's 'we'? She'd never been consulted about anything.

"We'll allow you to remain at Rosewood high with the expectation that your athletics are maintained at a high standard."

Paige let out a sigh, no pressure or anything.

"Also, you will stop associating with Miss Fields. I understand you'll need to interact with her insofar as team responsibilities go but you'll no longer see her socially."

"What?!" Paige turned from her father to her mother who watched her with sympathetic eyes. Paige knew her mother had advocated for her, this was the best deal she'd been able to broker in Paige's favour. And it sucked.

"This isn't up for negotiation, young lady."

Paige stared at him, icy eyes boring into hers as they stared one another down. She was at his mercy and they both knew it. Anything else she tried would end her up at St. Pius. Her father was a man of his word. "May I be excused?"

"Are we clear?"

Paige stonewalled, turning to her mother for some kind of support. Whatever support it was, it would be silent. Regardless of whether they agreed privately, her parents always presented her with a unified front. Paige was sorely tempted to come out now, the urge to burn his dreams of her future almost an instinctual pull. She wanted to tell him the damage was already done, that sending her to Catholic school wouldn't fix what he thought was broken. But to do it now, with his dislike of Emily so prominent and intense, would forever turn her into the villain of the story. Paige couldn't do that, wouldn't give her father more ammunition to keep them apart when her defences were so weak.

Her phone beeped and her eyes flicked to the screen, heart dropping at the blocked number. She reached for it, her father scooping it up before her and reading the message.

"Who's 'A'?" he asked. This was it, her moment of truth, she could admit everything. But she wouldn't, she knew the consequences of trying to warn people. If her father figured it out, went to the police, none of them would be safe. She couldn't do that to her family. He turned the phone toward her and Paige feigned innocence as she read the message.

**Take the deal. -A**

"I don't know, Dad. I don't have any idea who 'A ' is," Paige said, her eyes meeting his. She had been lying for so long, about so many things, that the words slipped off her tongue without so much as a stutter. He didn't believe her -she could see it in his eyes- but for whatever reason, he held back on his inquisition.

It wasn't all a lie. Breaking in to her house, planting surveillance, running her down- Paige truly had no idea who she was dealing with. What she did know, was when she was beat. The house held all the high cards. Boxed in by both 'A' and her father, Paige had no choice but to fold this hand.

"Fine."

"'Fine' what?"

Paige heaved out a sigh, certain she would come to regret her decision in the very near future. "You've got a deal."

tbc.

*A.N. In case you're wondering, 'The Suspicious Packages' exist and you can check out half of the dynamic duo by searching for Dana Piccoli on Youtube. Cheers!


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: **Guess who still doesn't own them? That's right, this girl.

**Slightly Longer Author's Notes:** Apologies for the late update. I participate in NaNoWriMo as well as had some RL stuff sideswipe me last week that threw me off my schedule. In better news, this story is one of my NaNo projects. November may be a little lean post wise as it's difficult to maintain the NaNo pace I set _and_ edit reliably. However, if you gut it out with me, by December we should be rocking a new chapter every few days. If the schedule holds -fingers crossed- we'll be on time with the season premiere in January. Fair? Fair.

This chapter contains spoilers up to Season 2, Episode 1 "It's Alive", it may also contain mild triggers. It's not graphic but there is reference.

Don't forget to tip your bards. If you take the time to read, do us authors a solid and take the extra second to review.

Thank you, everyone for the faves/follows and reviews. Writing is its own reward but I'd be lying if I said I didn't love to see them. Much appreciated!

Enjoy!

**888**

Paige groaned as a hand landed on her shoulder, shaking her from sleep. She opened her eyes, blinking dully at her mother before she rolled over and pulled the covers high on her shoulder.

"Paige, it's time to get up."

Paige glanced blearily at her alarm clock, six thirty on a Sunday. She didn't have to be up for church for another two hours."Mom? What's up? I don't have practice today."

"No. I know." Her mother sat on the edge of the bed, clasping her hands, obviously uncomfortable with having to talk about the issue. "Your father thinks it's a good idea for you to come with us to the fair today."

"What? Why? You have more than enough volunteers for the booth." Paige had no desire to do anything except wallow in self pity and plot the downfall of the entire alphabet.

"It's..." her mother paused. "Well, we'll both be there."

Paige rolled her eyes, realization kicking in. "And Dad doesn't trust me to leave me alone in my own house. Nice." She didn't bother to hide her disgust, tempted to dig in her heels by stubbornly refusing to get out of bed. Considering she had barely saved herself from a future of Hail Marys, plaid skirts and ties, she thought better of it. At this point, resistance was futile. She'd have to go along with this insanity until she could find an end around. Pushing herself out of bed, Paige headed for her closet.

"It'll be 'll go set up for a couple of hours and then go to church. Maybe we can all get some lunch together later?"

"I don't need a babysitter," Paige snapped, irritated that her mother was not only going along with this idiotic plan but attempting to tout it as a positive. She tossed her clothes onto her bed and searched her drawers for underwear.

"Paige, it won't be forever, just until your father..."

"Comes to his senses? Grows up?"

"Paige!"

"Mom! I haven't done anything wrong. Why is he acting like this?"

"Maybe because he can sense you're hiding something," her mother countered. The accusation stopped Paige's rant before she could fully gear up for it and she turned to her mother with question in her eyes.

"I know you think he doesn't see you, but he does. He's noticed a change over the past few months. So have I. You've been secretive, moody, combative. I know every teenager experiences growing pains, Paige but there's something else behind this and you won't talk to us."

Paige wished she could unburden herself, lay all her troubles at her parents' feet but she couldn't. 'A' was too smart, their moves putting Paige in check before she even realized her most important pieces were at stake. All she could offer was a quiet, "it's not Emily's fault."

"Maybe not. But for your father, she's the easiest problem he can see to fix."

"This isn't going to fix anything."

"Then whatever it is, you'd better sort it out." Her mother's voice was no longer conciliatory but firm. "If he doesn't see some changes, I won't be able to talk him out of sending you somewhere he feels gives him more control. Breakfast in ten."

With that, her mother stood and walked out of the room, leaving Paige to stare after her in disbelief. What next?

**888**

Two hours later, Paige set up the last table for the church bazaar. Her parents were somewhere in the church across the street, sorting through the last boxes of donations. She caught sight of a familiar flash of dark hair making its way through the crowd, her entire being demanding that she follow.

"Paige, we need some more lights for the games table. You think you could grab them?" Mr. McNab asked, holding up a string of the small bulbs to show what he needed. "Your dad should know where they are."

Bodily throwing herself through the small window of opportunity, Paige was on the move. She tossed "sure thing," over her shoulder as she walked away. She slid between the litany of tables and took off into the crowd, following Emily's route through the fair.

She paused as she caught sight of Emily conversing with one of the merchants, a young blonde that immediately made her stomach sink. She approached, calling out Emily's name. Emily turned, smile brightening and Paige felt some of the tension ebb, maybe she hadn't totally sunk herself by not showing up yesterday.

"Hey."

"Hi."

"Paige, this is Samara from Sheridan Prep," Emily looked over at the blonde who smiled at Paige. "Who you were supposed to meet at the grill."

Paige stared, caught flat footed by the other woman's presence. It certainly didn't sit well that Emily and the blonde already seemed quite friendly with one another. "Oh, hi."

"Hi, look if you ever want to reschedule, grab a coffee, talk about your dad." ... What the... "Emily has my cell."

_Oh, I bet she does._

Paige turned to Emily, she couldn't believe her friend had given up personal details about her life to a complete stranger. The look that passed between them was less than pleased and Paige turned to face Samara, smile tight in an effort not to let loose on the interlooper.

Samara was at least swift enough to notice the awkward tension. "Oh, uh, tell your friend how hot she looks in these earrings." Samara held a pair of earrings up to Emily.

Really? This chick was some kind of counsellor? Paige cut her eyes from Samara to Emily, doing her best to maintain her temper. Who the hell was this chick? Seeming to sense a blowout was imminent, Emily took a small step back from Samara.

"I'm going to grab something to drink. Samara, would you like anything?"

"No, I'm good thanks."

"Paige?"

Recognizing it for the out it was, Paige followed Emily from the merchants tent to the food tent.

"What did you tell her?" Paige asked, arms crossed as she stared at Emily. "About me," she finished, as if she needed to clarify. She was certain the charming blonde had wheedled all sorts of details out of Emily.

"Nothing, I told her you were dealing with stuff. That you were scared your parents would..."

"I wish you hadn't done that," Paige broke in. If Samara knew who she was or the details somehow made it back to her father, she'd never see Emily again. "If I didn't show up, there was a reason."

"Hey, the second you guys left everybody suddenly got thirsty."

The saccharine voice was unmistakeable, even after two minutes of conversation. Paige rolled her eyes skyward, irritation deepening to see how Emily smiled at the blonde's appearance.

"Uh, here, for the earrings." Emily offered Samara money. "Thanks."

The moment was miles beyond awkward, Samara's eyes lingering too long on Emily. Paige wished the blonde would just back the hell off her woman before she was forced to throw a Hastings level tantrum.

"Look, Paige, I hope it didn't seem like I was calling you out. I get it."

Paige turned away, the earnest do-gooder act making her want to drop kick the blonde through the nearest set of goalposts.

"We've all been there."

"I know you're trying to be nice and everything but honestly, you don't even know me."

"Paige," Emily chided.

"What? Sorry, I'm not looking to join a club and ride down Main Street in a rainbow chopper."

"Actually, I drive a Jeep."

Paige knew if she had just practiced a little harder on Hastings, she could have perfected her death glare and dropped the blonde to the floor with the force of her stare.

"But that's besides the point."

"You know what, I'm going to take this to go." Emily held her drink aloft. "I've got a paper that's due. Tell your friends that it was really nice to meet them."

"Emily, wait." Paige moved forward, stopping just short of reaching for her hand. She couldn't chance it getting back to her father that she was with Emily off school hours. Not with the argument so fresh.

"What, so you can be rude to me too? You know what, Paige? This is becoming way too much drama. I don't want to be your secret." Paige didn't even have time to respond before Emily marched out of the tent, irritation in her step.

Paige stood there, staring into the corner of the tent, jaw pressed tight together to hold back the tears that threatened. A small cough behind her and she turned to find Samara looking at her somewhat sheepishly.

"Look, I'm sorry if I overstepped my bounds, I..."

Paige stalked past her without a word, knowing if she so much as opened her mouth, the words that came out would be nothing shy of blistering.

Paige stormed into the church to collect the lights, ignoring her mother's concerned stare as she sullenly heaved the box into her arms and headed back into the mayhem. She spent the rest of the day concentrating on the chaos, forcibly pushing down the urge to break into hysterical tears.

How could she have thought she had an honest chance at happiness? If there was anything these last few years had taught her, it was not to hope. Hope was poison. It lifted you to heights that were that much more painful to topple from. In her pain, she was forced to fall back on a familiar adage that had nursed her through the final months of ninth grade, 'una salus victus'. The one hope of the damned was not to hope for mercy.

It had been her motto, her personal war chant in those final days of Ali's reign. When she had been at her worst, contemplating the worst, it had pushed her forward. It demanded of her that she abandon hope for better days, focus solely on taking Ali down with her.

As with all dark nights, dawn had eventually come. Summer had split Ali from her chosen, her travels taking her far from Rosewood. The reprieve had been enough for Paige to fortify her emotional defences, regroup, harden herself for the fight she knew they were destined for. Then, Ali had simply disappeared.

The fight Paige had so carefully prepared for was no more and the aggression -the darkness she had fostered- had grown out of control. Left without a specific enemy, Paige had turned that darkness onto her opponents, her teammates, herself. The result was what she had been when 'A' first made contact. Awkward, aloof, unable to bond with anyone for fear they would see the carefully cultivated darkness beneath her bullish personality. And then Emily had come along. The darkness hadn't seem so complete. There was light in the distance, beckoning her forward.

And Paige had let it slip away. Let fear pull her back into the depths she knew so well, Ali, long dead, still holding tight to her.

The sun had set by the time they arrived home, Paige walking away from her parents without a word, headed for her bedroom. She stripped her clothes, pulling open a drawer to get her pajamas. Fingers brushed across a familiar tin and she held onto it, closing her eyes as the memories washed over her. It had been a long time since she had opened it. Still, it sat nestled in her drawer, a reminder of what happened when she turned her darkness inward. Tempted -too much so to stand there awash in memories- Paige closed the drawer and walked to her bed. It wasn't exhaustion but an intense desire to simply 'not be' that drove her into a heavy sleep.

**888**

Monday morning saw her with Keith as usual, then off to practice with Coach Fulton and the Sharks. She gave Emily a wide berth -not that it was difficult- keeping her mind focused on herself and the team. They were on a high from Friday's win, leaving them unusually upbeat for a Monday as they performed their drills. A dry run for the individual races saw Paige and Emily beside each other on the starting block, Emily's somewhat guilty look speaking of some concern. Paige chose to ignore it, knowing that concentrating on swimming was the only way to keep herself steady in the maelstrom.

She needed to keep her slot, keep herself at Rosewood High. As much as seeing Emily hurt, the thought of not seeing her was near unbearable. She didn't fail to recognize the universe's twisted sense of humour. To stay near Emily, she would have to make it a habit to beat her. At the whistle, Paige launched herself into the water with cold precision, mind concentrating solely on her form as she powered through.

The race between them was hard fought but her extra training gave Paige a leg up and she took the win. Putting on her best face for the team, Paige made a point of congratulating Emily on a solid time, determined not to let their breakup disturb the fragile camaraderie of their team. Keeping up friendly appearances was necessary and she was determined, if nothing else, to continue being the Captain that Emily had helped her become.

Paige was one of the last to finish changing after practice, her way of providing Emily an opportunity to avoid her gracefully. She was surprised to find Emily sitting on the bench near their lockers, obviously waiting.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"I wanted to talk to you."

"Now? We have class in ten," Paige countered, not relishing a rehash of their breakup in the middle of a school day. She was barely holding herself together as it was.

"I know, I just... I didn't give you a chance to explain yesterday."

"There's nothing to explain. I 'm already way out of my comfort zone, I moving as fast as I can, I'm trying."

"I know. I just..."

"You needed someone to be patient with you, once. Didn't you tell me that?"

Emily at least had the grace to look embarrassed, the idea evidently having crossed her own mind.

"Look, it doesn't matter. You were right on Friday. Even if I do come out, nothing changes. My dad will still be my dad. This isn't going to work, we both knew that."

Emily's eyes caught Paige, dark gaze hurt. "I didn't."

"Come on, Emily. You know my dad'll never let us be together. Even if I don't end up at some deprogramming camp, he's going to blame you."

"I can take a little heat, Paige."

"Can you? That's not what it felt like yesterday."

"So that's it, you're not even going to fight?"

Paige thought about it, giving the question its due. The real question was, why would she? The fight had been to get the prize and Em had made it clear that she was off the table. Emily wasn't interested in walking another hard road and Paige couldn't blame her. She had already done her time. What was the purpose of creating drama, of Paige upsetting her precarious daddy/daughter relationship when there was no one to fight for?

"No, I'm not going to fight."

She had tried to fight back, quiet acts of rebellion, outwardly flaunting her dismissal of 'A'. What had it gotten her? Besides heartbreak?

Paige had played this game before. Fought back against an enemy until the deepest parts of her soul were bloody and torn. She had barely made it out alive and she didn't have it in her to fight that war again. Not alone. Not when Emily had shown she wouldn't fight with her. As much as Paige loved the girl in front of her -and she did love her- she couldn't trust her.

"Paige..."

"I'm not you, Em. I'm not strong enough to do this on my own and I'm too damn tired to try." She remembered being this low, once, when Ali's antics had worn her out. She had gone down swinging but like any prey caught in a trap, her struggling had only exhausted her, weakened her. Paige couldn't let that happen again, couldn't handle it again.

"So, what now?"

Paige reached into her bag, pulling out the concert tickets. She'd meant to slip them into Emily's locker. "Here."

"Paige, I can't take those."

"Please. I got them for you. Take Hastings." Emily made no move to accept the tickets so Paige left them on the bench. She had no intention of going alone to a concert that she was meant to be at with Emily.

"I don't know how to do this."

"It'll be easy, we just play nice. In a few weeks everything will settle down and we'll be friendly teammates and everything will be back to normal." Paige knew it was far easier said than done but she was determined to try. Determined not to destroy what little there was left between them.

"I... I'm sorry, Paige."

Paige shouldered her bag, standing toe to toe with her teammate. She reached forward, cupping Emily's cheek to pull her in, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek. She memorized the moment, the scent of Emily's shampoo, silky skin, knowing it was her poor choices that had led them here. "Me too."

Paige turned and walked away, holding her hand over her mouth to stifle the sob that threatened to escape. She took the time she had before the first bell to sort herself out at her locker, brushing away tears. A quick round of eyedrops cleared the redness making her somewhat presentable as she headed for class. She was tempted to skip class altogether but the consequences of such a rebellious move were liable to be more trouble than it was worth.

By the time the lunch bell sounded, she was both tired and anxious, the odd combination making her twitchy enough to forego lunch. Pru was still ignoring her so there was little point in going to the cafeteria anyway. She went to the weight room instead, trading her treadmill for the punching bag, laying her every frustration out on the worn canvas.

Sean was his usual punctual self, showing up with a friendly smile that Paige tried to return, exhaustion making it difficult as rivers of sweat trailed between her shoulder blades.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Not really, no." Paige admitted.

"You want to talk about it?"

"No."

Sean pursed his lips, evidently at a loss of how to continue. "Want to spar?"

"Spar? Like you and me hitting each other?"

"Yeah, but only if you promise to take it easy on me." His grin and shoulder shove did its work. The easy familiarity between them as jocks was a welcome reprieve to the host of emotionally charged relationships that seemed to have taken front seat lately.

"Promise."

**888**

On Thursday, Paige's father finally released some of the restrictions on her. She had gone the entire week without saying Emily's name, determined to get him to loose his grasp. When he allowed her to go out after school, she called Pru. They were both notoriously skilled at holding grudges but Paige was fully prepared to admit she had been in the wrong. And, with Emily out of the picture, she needed to focus on strengthening the relationships she could still salvage.

So it was that she found herself leaving a message on Pru's cellphone to tell her she was coming over. The short walk was an easy one and Paige settled in on the front steps, waiting for Pru to get home. Ben's car pulled up shortly after she arrived, Pru pushing open the door and exiting without more than a cursory glance for Ben. Paige recognized the body language of a breakup.

"What was it, five weeks?" Paige asked as her friend approached.

"Four and a half. I thought you jocks were all about stamina? He could barely keep up with me."

"Pru, the energizer bunny would have trouble keeping up with your social calendar."

Pru shrugged, dropping her bag on the step and sat down. Paige offered one of her coffee cups, their international sign of peace, the pair of them looking out over the street.

"How'd he take it?"

"Little bit of a temper tantrum but it's fine."

Paige nodded, sipping at her coffee. Ben seemed the type to pout.

"So, you planning on apologizing? "

"I brought coffee."

"I want to actually hear the words, McCullers. C'mon, I promise you won't spontaneously combust or anything."

Paige pursed her lips, even knowing she was wrong, to admit it still felt odd. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have lied."

"You shouldn't have lied to me," Pru corrected. "You lie to everyone else however much you want. In fact, where your dad is concerned, I'd recommend it. But if you want me to cover for you and your badass boytoy, I need some honesty."

"I don't think that'll be a problem." Paige let out a sigh, closing her eyes as tears threatened. "We, uh, we broke up."

Paige put her coffee down, dropping her head into her hands, somewhat surprised by the sudden welling of emotion that reared up to punch her in the stomach. She had managed to gut out the last few days, focusing with laser like intensity on everything that wasn't Emily. Talking about it though, somehow made it real again. Pru's arms wrapped around her as she sobbed. She thought she must have scared Pru half to death, her friend completely unaccustomed to seeing her break. Even with Ali, all Pru had ever known was rage. Paige openly showing abject sorrow was new to them both.

"He's an idiot," Pru said, rubbing slow circles on Paige's back as the sobs subsided. "Can you tell me who he is now, so I can kneecap him?"

Paige heaved a sigh, trying to get herself back under control. It didn't work, she wanted nothing more than to just be honest, to be real. For once. "Emily." The name came out a broken whisper, hand covering her eyes so she wouldn't see Pru's disgust.

"Emily?"

"I was dating Emily." It certainly wasn't the best time to come out, when she was already so vulnerable. A kick from Pru would probably undo her completely.

"Paige! What the hell were you thinking?!"

"I don't know, I..." Paige shook her head, unable to comprehend how her plan to keep her head down had been laid to waste by a five foot six karaoke nerd in a swim cap.

"I mean, I get she's gay and all but if you're going to start making passes at chicks, isn't Spencer more your type?"

Paige looked up sharply at the comment, blinking through the tears to see the amusement in Pru's eyes. Amusement and acceptance. She made a somewhat strangled sound, not sure whether it was a sob or a laugh, leaning into her friend's offered arms, gratefully accepting the comfort. "Hastings? Are you mental?"

"Have you seen you two? Every time you stare at each other I'm not sure whether I should hold you back or hose you down."

"We'd kill each other."

"Yeah, but I bet she'd be great in the..."

"Pru!" Paige laughed for the first time in what felt like weeks, the absurdity of the moment not lost on her.

"I'm just saying!"

Paige pushed away from Pru to look into her eyes as she spoke. "Thank you."

"I got your back, Paige." It was one of the rare times Pru was serious as she spoke and it lasted about as long as it took for a fresh thought to catch hold in her mind. "Hey, I guess that means Sean really is fair game."

"You be nice to him. He's a friend."

"I'm always nice. C'mon let's go inside and fix your face, you're all blotchy."

Paige stood, following Pru inside on shaky legs. "Hey..."

"'Hey', what?" Paige asked.

"Now can I have the dirty details?!"

**888**

Friday found the Sharks facing a team they had beaten early in the season. It was their turn to visit, the two hour ride making for a good opportunity for Paige to get a head start on her final essays. The extra workload gave her a good reason to sit toward the front of the bus, earbuds in, effectively tuning out the rest of her team. The meet itself was simple enough, the Sharks handing out a sound defeat to their hosts. Paige's performance was solid though not peak and as she looked over at Coach Fulton, she knew the woman could tell something was up.

Their win made the ride home a boisterous affair and Paige knew it was her responsibility to at least try to participate in the revelry. If she wanted to keep morale up, she certainly couldn't be the one to drag it down.

She felt no real desire to be cheerful, hell, no real desire to be anything but in bed sleeping or moping around the house. While coming out to Pru had been freeing, the initial spike in her mood had quickly returned to its new low.

Her father's attitude hadn't thawed toward her, their conversations stilted at best. Even her peace keeping mother had been hard pressed to stop their cold feud from turning in to full scale war. Emily had made a point of avoiding her all week, not that it was hard.

Between her lessons with Keith and the Sharks, Paige barely had time to breathe before school. During class this morning, Paige had made a point of entering with Pru, her friend's conversation a natural buffer while they waited for the teacher. Lunch was business as usual and the timing of afternoon practice left no wiggle room to dawdle around on her way home. It was one of the rare times she enjoyed keeping such a rigorous schedule. Paige hoped to keep herself so busy that she could push the events of the last week from her mind completely.

The bus pulled into the Rosewood High parking lot at nearly ten on Friday night, many of her teammates geared for pizza. Paige begged off the invitation, knowing that Emily was liable to be in attendance and her ability to keep a happy face had its limits. Paige stepped off the bus to see her father waiting at the car, no doubt expecting a full debrief about the meet. Paige stopped when she felt Coach Fulton's hand land on her shoulder.

"I'm here if you need to talk, Paige."

"Thanks, Coach." Knowing there was little else she could say with her father keeping watch, she headed over to him. She gave a wave to the excited teammates who whipped past her to cram into their cars, the teasing catcalls managing to draw out a smile.

"How was it?"

"We won," Paige said. It was all she was going to offer unless he dug for more.

"Good. See what happens when you focus on the right things?"

She supposed in a way, breaking up with Emily had given her renewed focus. To keep herself from being sucked back into the black, she had clung tightly to the one area she knew she could succeed. It was too bad the victory cheers rang hollow.

**888**

The weekend passed without fanfare, Paige concentrating on her homework since she had little else to work on. She was allowed to use the internet only for school purposes, the desktop computer that sat in the living room her only option. Seeing no use for that, she had instead read forward in her textbooks. Finals were still weeks away but with her schedule, preparation was key.

The only oddity was Sunday night, the wail of sirens enough to pull even her from the basement to watch them barrel past her house. She was up early on Monday, hearing the morning paper hit the door with a quiet thud. She went out to grab it, curious why so many cop cars had peeled past her house.

In a small town like Rosewood, anything involving more than two cars was bound to be big news. The front page article held a picture of Emily and the others, the headline and the article within not particularly flattering. Paige read the journalist's account of the events as she ate her oatmeal, wondering what had actually been taken from the girls and what had been pure conjecture.

She knew Emily, no way she made up a lie about Ian Thomas' death. She wasn't all that surprised by Hastings' accusations either. She remembered Ian watching their JV field hockey practices, back in Ali's heyday, sharkish eyes lingering too long on more than one of them.

Paige's first instinct was to reach out to Emily, make sure she was okay. She stiffled it, knowing Em likely wasn't awake yet and even if she was, probably didn't want to hear from her. She had the others to keep her safe.

Keith's practice was rigorous as ever, Paige finally acclimatized to his style after a few solid weeks of working with him. She still preferred Fulton by a far stretch but the extra fitness she got with Keith was starting to show favourably in her performances at school.

Emily was notably absent from practice with the Sharks and Coach Fulton's questioning glance showed she was equally unaware of where Emily was. If she didn't show up to class, Paige would use Pru's phone to check on her, her own cell still secured somewhere in her father's office. There would be hell to pay for that later, who knew how many messages 'A' had sent in the last week and a half.

When practice was over, Paige made short work of her shower, determined to properly caffeinate before class. She was towelling her hair, clad in her school clothes and flipflops, as she walked through the change room back to gear. She was surprised to find Emily there, sitting, staring blankly at the contents of her locker. Paige stood beside her, not sure whether to reach out or give the girl her privacy.

"We didn't lie." Emily broke with, turning to look at Paige, pleading for belief with her eyes.

"I know." Paige sat beside Emily, feeling moderately safe in the seclusion of the empty room. "Are you okay?"

Emily shook her head, long rich hair, covered her eyes but did nothing to silence the quiet sniffles. Even with everything that had gone wrong between them, Paige's first instinct was to protect. She slid closer to Emily, offering a hug that the other girl sank into, wrapping her arms tightly around Paige's waist. "The police will figure out what happened, it'll be okay."

"You don't know that. Ian's dead, Ali's dead, nothing is okay."

Paige did her best not to enjoy the feeling of having Emily back in her arms. Her friend was hurting and she didn't need Paige's emotions being thrown in to complicate the mess. She had no words of wisdom. She, of all people, knew that sometimes things just didn't work out. All she could offer was herself, given freely as Emily tucked against her in silence.

Eventually, the bell rang, signalling the early warning for first class. Damn. Emily slowly pushed away, accepting the kleenex Paige offered to dry her eyes. "Listen, I... lost my phone." Paige pulled out a pen, scribbling a number into Emily's palm. "That's Pru's number. If you need... whatever you need, just call her, I'll get the message."

"Thanks, Paige. I appreciate it."

"Don't mention it, I've got to grab my books. See you in chem?"

"Okay." Emily offered her a watery smile and Paige squeezed her hand before heading for her locker. A quick exchange of books and she was walking in to class, Pru already seated but none of the foursome in yet.

"Hey, practice run late?"

"A little, I'll talk to you about it later."

Emily and the others were the last to enter, the room of noisy students falling into a hush as they walked in. Pru was in the company of the gawkers and Paige kicked out a foot to hit her desk, jarring her out of stare. The girls took their chairs, Hastings sending out a general glare to the classroom before she sat. Paige had never been more grateful that Emily had such a pitbull watching over her.

Paige would do what she could to help but if her father caught wind of it, she'd end up too far way from Emily to be of any use. She opened up her textbook, frowning at the piece of paper that fluttered to the floor. She scooped it up, unsurprised by the tight script she knew well.

**Four liars down. One to go.-A**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer**: You know the drill.

**Author's Notes:** Full speed ahead. This chapter contains spoilers up to Season 2, Episode 3, "My Name Is Trouble".

Don't forget to tip your bards. If you take the time to read, do us authors a solid and take the extra second to review.

Thank you, everyone, for the faves/follows and reviews. Much appreciated! Comments and constructive criticism are welcome.

Enjoy!

**888**

The beginning of the week passed in an easy rhythm, Paige finally settling into her rigorous schedule. It left little time to herself but the strict routine kept her focused on the things she could change rather than those she couldn't. 'A' had been silent, save for the message on Monday, an ominous threat that hung heavy. She did her best to push it from her mind, 'A' would make good on their threat or not. At this point, she wasn't sure she cared. Her relationship with her father - so prized in her childhood- was little more than a shadow of its former self.

"Paige?"

She looked up, somewhat surprised to find herself in the change room, staring at her gym locker as though it held the answers to the universe. "Sorry, Coach. Just thinking."

"You've been doing that a lot lately. Anything in particular on your mind?"

"I'm worried about Emily," Paige deflected. "She's been under a lot of stress with all that's happening lately."

"What about you? How's your stress level?"

"I've been better," Paige admitted. It was nice to be asked after. "My dad kind of... freaked."

Coach Fulton sat on the bench in front of her, concentration devoted to Paige.

"I didn't even tell him everything... I couldn't. He doesn't want me hanging out with Emily, just because she's gay. How am I supposed to tell him..." Paige stopped, shaking her head. "Never mind. It doesn't matter anymore."

"Being true to yourself always matters, Paige. Always. This is your life, your father can't live it for you."

"I just need to get out of Rosewood. Get a scholarship somewhere away from here." She could be free. Free of her father, free of 'A'. Free of a tormented past that refused to let her go.

"That's part of why I wanted to talk to you. The recruiter from Danby will be here tonight."

Paige raised an eyebrow, that was odd. "Is he scouting the Philly girls?"

"Not just them. I called him after our last meet against Philly and again when you nearly set that state record. He wants to look at you and Emily."

"Are you serious? Danby is scouting us?!"

Coach Fulton's bright smile confirmed it and Paige couldn't help but throw her arms around her mentor's neck, hugging her tightly. It was a brief hug, Paige quickly regaining control as she sat down.

"Coach..." Paige had no words to express her excitement.

"It's just a meet and greet," Fulton warned. "Bucks County has their two day tournament here this week, but I talked Ken into coming down a day early to check us out. If you do well tonight, put the hammer down and make sure he remembers you, I think you've got a good shot."

Paige smiled, putting the hammer down wasn't something she'd ever had trouble with.

"Do me a favour and go tell Emily? I have to deal with some administration for setting up Bucks' tournament tomorrow."

"Sure thing." Paige didn't need to be asked twice. Shoving her gear in her locker -lunch workout forgotten- she headed for the door. She was midway through her sprint to the hallway when she slid to a stop, turning to Fulton. "Thanks, Coach. I won't let you down."

"I know you won't, Paige."

With that, she was out of the locker room and down the hall, skidding past a surprised Sean as she rounded a corner.

"Hey, where's the fire?"

"Scout at the meet, gotta find Emily." Her quick reflexes only just let her catch Sean's passing high five as she ran, headed for the cafeteria. Emily was at her usual table, alone, Spencer and Aria at the tables beside her. Ignoring the odd arrangement, she made her way straight to Emily, bumping roughly into the table in her haste.

"Geeze, McCullers take out the table why don't you?" Spencer called out.

"Spencer!" Aria admonished from one table over.

"Can it, Hastings. No one was talking to you."

"Paige." Emily chastised, staring at them both. Paige took a step over as Hastings stood up, her tall but lean frame a poor match for Paige's more muscular build. A quick eye flick to Emily showed the girl near panic, obviously not doubting either of their natures. Relenting as much for Emily as to minimize drama, Paige reluctantly backed down. "I didn't come here to fight, I came here to talk. To Emily."

"Go ahead, talk." The challenge in Hastings' voice was clear but Paige had no intention of rising to it. The conversation had already drawn enough attention considering they were spreading it across half the damn cafeteria.

"Emily," Paige pleaded and Emily stood, following her out to the courtyard. They made their way to the brick pillars just beyond the tables, sitting on the bench they had occupied not so long ago.

"What's up? Is everything okay with your dad?"

"He's fine, it's fine." Paige waved off that line of questioning, it was nowhere near as important as her news. "There's going to be a scout here tonight, from Danby. Coach says he's coming to look at us."

"What?!" The excitement in dark eyes was unmistakeable. "Us? Are you sure? I mean, what about the seniors?"

"Erissa's signed her letter for UCLA and the other two don't have the chops for Danby. It's us."

"That's... that's great for you." Emily said, her mood suddenly deflating as she looked away. Paige took her hands, squeezing tightly to bring Emily's attention to her.

"Not just me, 'us'. This guy, Ken, he wants to meet you too."

"He might not be so interested when he hears I'm moving to Texas."

"Texas?!" Paige couldn't help the volume of her voice, students within range stopping to stare at her as she stood. She glared at them until they moved on, turning back to Emily. "That's insane, you can't move to Texas."

"It's not exactly my choice, Paige."

"No, you don't understand. No team will take you this late in the season. If you tank your junior year, the chances of any heavy hitters recruiting you in senior year are..."

"Slim to none. I know. Thanks for making me feel better." The idea had obviously occurred to the other girl and Paige could have slapped herself for being such a bulldozer.

"Shit, Em, I didn't mean to..." Paige reached out, remembering herself at the last minute, it wasn't her place anymore. "I'm sorry. I... how can I help?"

"I don't know if there's any way you can help. My mom wants to be with my dad and he's in Texas. I don't blame her, it's been a long time since we were all together."

"Yeah but if you got a scholarship... they can't turn that down, especially a school like Danby. Do you know how many Olympic team members have come out of that program? It's the best school on the west coast."

"You don't think I know that? My hands are kind of tied. Danby won't look at me seriously if they think I'm leaving."

Paige pursed her lips, uncomfortable with the advice but knowing sometimes there was only one way. "Lie."

"What? Paige...no."

"Hear me out, just lie about the move long enough to keep Danby interested. Maybe they'll make an offer that you can take to your parents." Paige was no stranger to family negotiations, Emily needed collateral, a chip to bargain with to keep herself in Rosewood.

"And what if that lie gets out to the other universities? Scouts talk to each other, I don't want to get blackballed because of this."

"If you don't finish this season, you're not going to have to worry about swimming scholarships anyway."

"Great, Paige. No pressure. Anyone ever tell you that you suck at pep talks?"

"Must have inherited it from my dad." Paige sat, looking her friend in the eyes. "You can do this. We can do this. I promise. I'll meet you in the pool, early, we'll do some dry runs."

Emily sighed. "Okay, sounds good. Thanks."

"What's good for you is good for me," Paige admitted. "We're the best swimmers to come out of Rosewood in years. We just can't let up."

Emily stood, somewhat awkwardly facing Paige, evidently something heavy on her mind. "Paige, I..."

"You'd better go," Paige cut in. Whatever Emily was about to say, it wasn't something she could focus on, not now. She needed to keep her head in the game. "Go on, before Hastings melts my brain." Paige motioned to the cafeteria where Hastings was staring at them intently through the glass.

"Yeah... I'll see you later."

Paige watched her go, stomach twisting at the idea of Emily moving away. To Texas no less. Not only would it hurt the Sharks, it was liable to break her. Just the thought of Emily being away felt more final than their actual break up. Hopeless almost.

But not yet. Not quite.

Paige sat through her last classes, mind nowhere near her studies as she debated how to make Emily more appealing to Danby. She felt confident that her own status was secured. She had shaved time off her personal best and set a few local records. So long as she didn't totally tank the meet, Danby would consider her.

Emily hadn't proven to be quite as reliable, her two month hiatus in the early season had dropped her overall standings. Paige had to force the issue. The idea of how came to her as she walked to her locker, running through their competition in her mind. Philly's anchor was their powerhouse and Emily had beaten her last time, when Paige had been unable to compete. That meet was likely what had put her on Danby's radar in the first place. That was what Emily needed now, to showcase herself against a powerful opponent. Philly's starter was no slouch but putting her down wouldn't look nearly as impressive as Emily beating their anchor.

Walking into the changeroom, Paige bypassed the bank of lockers to knock on Coach Fulton's door.

"Paige, how goes the new career in sprinting?"

"I'll leave it to the rock jocks." She liked running but sprints on land were way too rough on her body.

"Good to hear. What can I do for you?"

"I wanted to run an idea by you about the line-up."

"Okay, shoot." Coach pointed to a chair and Paige settled in.

"I want to switch to slots with Emily."

Coach Fulton's raised eyebrow suggested that wasn't something she expected.

"Danby knows me, my dad has been sending Ken emails since freshmen year. He's seen my times, he knows what I'm capable of. Emily's the one who needs to shine tonight. If she takes out Philly's anchor again, they'll know what she's capable of."

Coach Fulton seemed to hesitate, the possible ramifications of pulling Paige out of her slot obviously running through her mind.

"I can smoke their starter into shame. I know her from swim camp. We were on par then, I'll run right over her now."

"You father won't be pleased."

"It's my decision, he can't live my life for me, Paige parroted. "I'll take the hit." She would figure out how to explain it later, make up something about her shoulder if she had to. If she got seriously scouted by Danby for her performance, it wouldn't matter if she had anchored. Her father would tolerate the method if the result was solid. She was sure of it.

"I want to make sure you're doing this for the right reasons, Paige. I don't want you hurting your own chances in favour of Emily because of..."

"I'm not, I won't," Paige promised. She would blow the doors of Philly's starter. "I'm still going to put the hammer down, Coach. I promise."

"I'm going to trust your judgment."

"I won't let you down."

"Make it happen."

Paige pushed herself from her seat, giving Coach Fulton a brisk nod before she left the office. A quick change and she was in the water, diving from the one metre board to warm up her body. A few dives saw her loose enough to swim some easy laps while she waited for Emily. She hadn't gotten more than a half dozen laps in when Emily showed up, diving easily in to the pool to match strokes with her.

When they had completed a full set of warmups, Paige hauled herself out of the pool, Emily joining her. She handed her counterpart a towel, each of them wrapping thick cotton around their bodies.

"You're anchor tonight."

"What?"

"You're swimming the last leg of the relay. Don't screw it up, Fields."

"That's your slot."

"Not today. You've beaten this girl before, I haven't. You know her style, just do your job and get it done." Paige tossed her towel to the bench and tugged her goggles down as the other girls walked on deck. "C'mon, Fields. You want to live forever?"

**888**

"That was some show, Paige. You've got a great girl here, Mr. McCullers."

Her father beamed at the man, his arm slung companionably over Paige's shoulders. "Well I'm glad you got the chance to see her in action, Ken. She'd make Danby proud."

Paige couldn't help but smile at the pride she could hear in his voice. Old habits died hard. She had set a state record in butterfly by a hairsbreadth and started exceptionally well in her relay leg. Emily had done equally well, falling just short of a record in freestyle and handily beating Philly's anchor. It had been a good day for the Sharks all around and even her father had seemed somewhat mellow about Emily being anchor.

"I don't doubt it, we'll definitely be keeping an eye on her through the season. Have you seen Danby campus, Paige?"

"Not for awhile, I was at swim camp this summer which is when we usually go."

"Well, if you get up our way, be sure to give me a call. We can set up a tour of the facilities. How's that sound?"

"Great." Her father answered for her, shaking Ken's hand enthusiastically.

"Do you happen to know where I might find Emily?"

Paige didn't miss the way her father tensed at the mention Emily's name She did her best to ignore it, pointing to the natatorium exit where Emily was just coming out, Samara at her side. Her jaw clenched at the sight of the blonde who was already acting far to familiar with her friend.

"Shiny haired nightmare," she mumbled.

"Sorry, what was that?"

"Nothing, just that you might want to grab her before she heads out for the night."

"Thanks. Will you be here for the Bucks county meet tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I'll try to get in to watch some of the heats between classes. It's too bad their facility failed that safety test but I'm glad we'll get to see what another county looks like before the State championships."

"It was just lucky for them you had a state regulation pool available on such short notice. There's been problems across the board this year with all the facility renovations."

Paige and her father both nodded, it had been an ongoing complaint from students and coaches alike.

"Don't be a stranger, come and say hello tomorrow. We can chat about why Danby might be a good fit for you."

"Thanks." Another round of handshakes and Ken took his leave, heading off to chat with Emily.

"Well done tonight. Performances like that put you on the map."

"Thanks, Dad."

"Score one for Paige!" Paige turned at the sound of Pru's voice, just in time to catch her friend as she launched herself into her arms, wrapping her in a tight hug. "Was that him? Was that the scout? He totally saw how much a..." Pru's eyes fell on Paige's father, "... uh, butt you kicked."

"Thanks, what are you guys doing here?" Paige asked, looking to Sean who was just behind Pru, hands in the pockets of his letterman jacket.

"We thought we'd watch you kick Philly's butt and then kidnap you for pizza," Sean said. He seemed to have brought a good section of the football team with him. She had wondered why the cheering section was so loud. Paige looked to her father for permission, watching his eyes go to Sean then her and back again. Willing to play the game if it meant finally being allowed out of the house, she bit the bullet.

"Dad, this is Sean. Sean, my dad."

They went through the requisite handshakes and pleasantries, Paige rolling her eyes at Pru that she had been reduced to this to slip her collar.

"Home by eleven," her father said. Paige was about to answer in the affirmative when she realized that she wasn't the one being addressed.

"Yes, Sir."

"All right, have fun." This, at least, he partially directed to Paige before heading over to the McNabs. Sean gave her a thumbs up and walked ahead with the boys as Pru looped her arm through Paige's.

"Did you come over here with Sean just so my Dad would let me go out?"

"Well I certainly didn't think it would hurt," Pru admitted. "He's more likely to let you out with a nice, religious guy than just one girl all by her lonesome. I mean, I could be gay, Paige. I could be trying to convert you. Maybe I want a toaster."

"...You're an ass."

"C'mon, I'm dateable."

The good natured ribbing on the way to Eddie's Pizza parlour was one of the most relaxed conversations Paige could remember having with her friend. It hit her as Pru opened the door, linking their arms together with a familiarity they hadn't previously enjoyed.

She wasn't afraid of Pru anymore.

She didn't have to hide herself behind the unapproachable mask that she had donned for so long. Didn't have to worry that a touch or a glance would somehow clue her friend in to the thing she most wanted secret. Paige no longer had to keep her friend at arms length to protect herself. Pru knew. With that knowledge had come an unspoken release of tension between them. It was refreshing.

"Someone better have ordered Hawaiian," Pru led with as they sat down beside Sean who had saved seats for them both.

"Yup, got it."

"Awesome, I call first slice!"

**888**

Thursday evening, Pru and Paige sat watching TV, both girls looking up as the door at the top of the stairs opened but no one came down.

"What does he think we're doing down here?"

"Who knows." Paige rolled her eyes, kicking her feet up on to the coffee table. The couch was nowhere near as comfortable as the couch upstairs but she felt bad about kicking her mom off the TV when her shows were on. They had relegated themselves to the smaller screen in the basement, one of Pru's romantic comedies playing in the background.

"So, did you go suck up to the Danby scout today over lunch?"

"I did indeed. Spent two hours chatting with him during my spares." He was a nice guy and offered good critiques on the people in the water, a number of which Paige recognized in herself. He was definitely someone she could learn from and it had made her feel more comfortable with considering Danby.

"Nice."

They were midway through their movie when Pru's phone went off, eyes narrowing at whomever was calling. She flashed the number to Paige who recognized it immediately.

"It's Emily." She took the offered phone, hitting the accept button as she stood. "Hey, what's up?"

"The Danby scout likes me, I talked to him again today."

"Yeah, I saw him chatting with you in the hallway. So, what's the problem?"

"I just talked with my mom and she isn't going to stay on the verbal guarantee of one scout. She wants a letter of proof. And the Ken's heard about me moving."

"Crap, what did you do?"

"What do you think I did? I lied, told him I was working it out."

"The county meet finals are tomorrow, Ken's going to be there scouting a few of his favourites from today. Go ask him for something."

"Do you think that'll work?"

"Unless you're in to beauty queens and rodeo girls, you've got to try."

**888**

Friday morning practice was an easy one. Coach Fulton made a point of giving them light practices when they could afford them, leery of over training the team this far into the season. Losing a player to injury could throw their standings off balance without leaving them time to recover for state championships.

When lunch rolled around, Paige grabbed her bag from her locker, waving at Sean and Pru before ducking into the natatorium to watch the semi final heats. Coach Fulton was on deck helping out the organizers and Paige walked over.

"Hey, Coach, need anything?"

"Actually, could I get you to take over the camera for me?" Coach Fulton pointed up to the top set of bleachers where one of the AV kids was filming the meets. "He's been up there all day and needs a lunch break."

"Sure thing."

Paige walked up, getting a quick rundown on the camera controls before Lucas took off down the stairs. Emily walked in shortly after, searching the deck and then systematically up the packed bleachers until she found Paige.

"Hey," Emily called out, squeezing past two particularly loud parents with rather obnoxious signs.

"How'd it go?" Paige asked, sitting back a little so their conversation wouldn't end up on the video.

"No go. He said he could write a note that Danby was looking at me but couldn't make any guarantees."

"That's the best you'll usually get junior year. That's isn't enough?"

"No, my mom wants a concrete commitment, a 'maybe' letter isn't going to cut it."

"Damn, I'm sorry."

"Thanks for trying to help. I... just... thanks." Emily's defeated set to her shoulders as she watched the heats let Paige know she'd thrown in the towel.

They passed lunch mostly in silence, Paige occasionally standing to adjust the camera as Emily pointed out the best lanes to focus on. When the lunch bell sounded Emily took off, Paige able to stay for another hour during her spare. Lucas showed up shortly after to take over again, leaving Paige free to go to the bottom bleachers and sit near Coach Fulton.

Paige stayed as late as she dared, hoping to get a glimpse of the finals. Not to be. The bell rang just as finals began, the look from Coach Fulton telling Paige she wasn't going to be able to skip. She headed for class, attention occupied by thoughts of Emily.

She tried to contemplate what a life without Emily would look like. Her goals had revolved around the girl, in some form or another, for years. First she had wanted to be Emily's friend, well, more than a friend. Then she had been determined to beat her, no matter the cost. Girlfriend, protector, Paige had wanted to be all of those. In some ways, Paige was stuck in the ninth grade. Her emotions were linked to the other girl, circumstances never allowing Paige to really grow past her. Maybe Emily leaving would be good for her.

If Emily was out of Rosewood, Paige could move on, grow up. And Texas was far away, likely beyond 'A's reach. At least one of them would be safe.

But Texas? An army base, no less? Emily would be totally isolated, alone. Paige knew what that felt like and she certainly didn't wish it for her friend. And, what little growth she'd experienced these last few months had been fostered by Emily.

Emily had shown Paige it was okay to let the walls down. That there was something else to life than anxiety and anger and an overdeveloped need to please. She had been happy for the first time since meeting Alison. She couldn't let that go, not without putting up a fight.

Maybe she could give Emily a choice.

She opened a document -separate from the one she was using to code a simple website- and opened an internet browser. A quick cut and paste coupled with a check of staff contacts gave her a reasonable forgery of Danby letterhead.

Paige typed out a letter, using what she could remember from Kara's UCLA offer letter and tailored the finished version to Emily. She reread the document and saved it under a nonsense name, burying it in the harddrive before she emailed it to herself.

"Hey there, Paige McCullers!"

"Mona." Paige turned quickly, closing down the document before she looked over at the former geek turned queen bee. She and Mona had crossed paths briefly in the past, when Ali had been in her heyday. Since the makeover madness that skyrocketed her popularity, they hadn't been more than cursory contact. "What's up?"

"Just wanted to congratulate you on your big win on Wednesday."

"I...uh, thanks?" Did Mona even know what team she played for?

"You're welcome, I'm totally jealous of you athletes. I'd try out but I haven't found the perfect sweat proof mascara yet."

"Oh, uh..." Paige had no idea what to say considering the conversation itself seemed to be something out of the twilight zone. "Oops, looks like Noel's free, toodles." The girl scampered off, plopping herself on Noel's desk, already mid conversation.

"...What the hell was that about?"


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer:** I own only my vague sense of reality.

**Author's Notes:** Quick update, as promised. This chapter contains spoilers up to Season 2, Episode 4, "Blind Dates".

Please, don't forget to tip your bards. If you take the time to read, do us authors a solid and take the extra second to review.

Thank you, everyone, for the faves/follows and reviews. Much appreciated! Comments and constructive criticism are welcome.

Enjoy!

**888**

Sunday afternoon, waiting until she was certain her parents were gone for the evening, Paige snuck into her father's office to get to the printer. She quickly logged in to her email, printing off the fake Danby note before wiping away her digital fingerprints so her father was none the wiser. The letter went into a Danby envelope -one of the many from the information packets her father received- and left unsealed. She went into the living room, searching for the cordless phone. A quick dial of Pru's home number and the other girl picked up on the second ring.

"Whaddup, Buttercup?"

"...I...what?" Paige frowned at the unusual term, recognizing it as one of the greetings from the football team. Oh god, another one.

"Nothing. What's up? Are you allowed to go out and play?"

"Kind of, that's why I'm calling."

"I sense intrigue."

"I need you to call Emily and ask her to meet me in the park."

"And I'm calling to arrange a booty call with your ex girlfriend because..?"

"Pru!"

"What?"

"It's not...I'm not... You know what? Just make the damn call. If my dad sees Em's number on the phone, you'll be hanging out with me while I recite 'Hail Mary' for eternity."

"Alright, alright, hang on." A set of beeps assured Pru was doing as asked. "Hi, Emily. It's Pru. Paige wants to meet up, in the park. Yeah, her phone's MIA and her dad's still got her on lock down."

Damn it, Pru!

"Okay, I'll tell her." A click of buttons and Pru was back. "Ten minutes, in the park. You going to tell me what this clandestine meet up is about?"

"I just need to talk to her, explain some of the stuff that went down before Dad went nuclear." Paige hated that she was once again forced to lie to her friend.

"I know there's more to it but I'll wiggle it out of you later. You've got a date."

"It's not a date!" The words fell on deaf ears, Pru hanging up mid sentence, Paige left to stare at the receiver in disbelief. She pulled a fleece hoodie from her closet, tugging it over her body before grudgingly grabbing her helmet. A flick of the garage door as she hopped on her bike and she was off and moving. She rode to the entrance of the park where Emily was already sitting in her car across the lot.

"You drove?!" Paige asked incredulously as she slid to a stop beside the car. Emily barely lived a stone's throw away.

"I'm coming from Spencer's, I didn't drive from my house," Emily countered. Paige rolled her eyes, putting her bike on its kickstand and got into the passenger seat. "What did Pru mean about your dad having you on lock down? Is everything okay?"

"It's fine. Don't worry about me, I came here to talk about you."

"My offer still stands, I want us to be…"

"Friends, yeah, I know. As your friend, I'm telling you to shut up and look." Paige pulled the envelope from her hoodie pocket, handing it to Emily.

"What is this?" Dark eyes scanned the document, confusion evident. "Where did you get this? How did you get this?"

"I've seen offer letters before, I just mixed and matched a little."

"I… why would you do this?"

"Because you want to stay and this letter can help you do that," Paige said. She couldn't make the decision for Emily, using the letter could cause more problems than it solved, but at least she had a choice. "Use it, don't use it, I just wanted to give you options. One condition."

Emily looked to her, question clear.

"No one knows I gave it to you. You get caught, you made it, not me." Something like this could ruin her chances of getting into Danby if it was linked back to her. She didn't need any more trouble on her plate. The inevitable showdown with her family was going to be more than enough as it was.

"I don't know what to say."

"Don't say anything. If the Sharks have any chance of winning the championships, we need you in the water with us." Winning the championships was the first step to Paige getting the hell out of Rosewood. "I know how close you are with your Dad and I know you're probably torn. If you don't stay, I'd totally understand. But just so you know, I'd like it if you did."

"Thank you."

"No problem. I'll see you tomorrow."

Paige pushed open the door and hauled herself out of the car. A quick check of the immediate area didn't reveal anyone watching them and she hopped on to her bike. A small wave to Emily and she was back on the move, pedaling for home.

**888**

Monday started well before dawn -as was her new custom- her session with Keith simple. Coach Fulton had little to critique them on making for a relaxed morning of swimming. Paige saw Emily at practice, nodding at her but otherwise passing by, determined not to give McNab anything to cry home to her father about. She knew the other girl was at least partially responsible for her father's blow up. The notorious gossip had probably been feeding tales to her own father which had inevitably made it into the McCullers household. With no way to silence her, the best way to get results was to play along. McNab could relay that Paige was obeying her father's wishes and eventually he would relax his grip. She hoped.

Practice passed smoothly, as did morning classes, Paige doing her best to concentrate on her studies. Final exams were fast approaching. Teachers across the board were piling on the last slew of assignments before the whole school hunkered down to brace for finals.

Lunch was spent with Pru, Sean and a good portion of the football team which Paige found entertaining. The meal was boisterous and lively, a change for Paige who had purposefully avoided such exchanges for the majority of her high school career. Still, with Pru and Sean, she felt reasonably comfortable joking around with a group she barely knew. It was a far cry from the antisocial girl of only a few months ago.

First class after lunch saw her and Sean at the gym to train, as was their norm. Class afterward was similarly mundane, swim practice smooth and thankfully tension free as they solidified the lineup for their next meet. Paige didn't go so far as to actively avoid Emily, neither did she go out of her way to cling to the girl as she used to. Paige had absolutely no desire to hear about Samara and what was going on between them. She didn't blame Emily for choosing the the blonde over her. Samara was pretty and bright and out of the closet. Paige could understand, to some degree, why Emily was interested in her.

What Paige didn't like, was Samara. Her wholesome looks, over friendly manner and somewhat vapid personality made Paige buck against her before they had even been properly introduced. Not to mention that the older girl had dove in to scoop up Emily, the wreckage of Paige's relationship barely cooled from its epic crash. It didn't exactly smack of good counseling and -as much of a mess as Paige knew she was- it felt like a physical slap to be replaced by a person who seemed nothing short of her polar opposite.

The rest of the week progressed much the same as Monday, passing more quickly than Paige would have thought, all things considered. Pru was particularly observant, making a point not to leave Paige alone for long. Paige was grateful to Pru for helping her through the break up, if that was even what it could be called. She and Emily had dated for barely a week, was that technically a relationship? Did it deserve the title of 'break up'?

Paige didn't know. Didn't care. Whatever the label, the consequence was the same. It hurt like hell. Especially when Emily bounced back so quickly, already laughing with Samara while Paige was still standing in emotional debris.

She guessed that was appropriate, Emily was old hat at this now. She had been through a number of break ups: Ben, Maya, Paige. She was better equipped to handle them. This was Paige's first real relationship, the first time she had actually allowed herself to invest emotionally.

Paige didn't regret it. Her time with Emily, however short, had been precious. But now that it was over, she hoped her return to a steady emotional state wouldn't take too long. Swimming, school and Pru kept her daytime hours occupied but her nights were her own. Long, lonely hours spent replaying the last few days, trying to determine how she might have done things better.

The main point had not been coming out, Paige was smart enough to know as much. Had she acted more quickly -gone with her gut when her father first confronted her- things might have turned out differently. But she hadn't. She had flinched under her father and 'A's all seeing gaze. Her cowardice had cost her Emily.

"Hey, Earth to, Paige. You planning on staring at your locker all night? You have a meet in an hour. Shouldn't you be like, swimming or eating or sacrificing babies on an altar or something?"

Paige raised an eyebrow, turning her attention to her friend who wore nothing less than a shit eating grin. Crap. What was Pru up to now?

"Baby sacrificing is before morning practice," Paige deadpanned, closing her locker before she followed Pru through the emptying hallways. "I could use something to eat though. Want to hit the cafeteria before it closes?"

"Sure, I've got awhile to kill before I have to get ready for my date." The words were said in such a way that Paige knew it was a bait for further questioning. Pru had been good to her these last few weeks, better than Paige deserved, considering her behaviour lately. The least Paige could do was go along with the lame game of guessing which football player Pru had set her sights on.

"A date? Let me guess, Lucas?"

"Funny. Very funny. I don't need to date a beefcake but I'd at least like a guy who outweighs me a little. That kid is bone, wrapped in skin, wearing a nerd shirt. No, Sean's taking me to the movies."

"Sean? Really?" Paige hadn't thought Pru was actually serious about her interest in him. Sean seemed a little too... vanilla for Pru's usual tastes. He was certainly easy on the eyes but Pru made a point of dating guys who were able to keep pace with a busy social calendar. Her friend was easily bored and a religious guy with a concentration in athletics wasn't her usual type. Then again, three months ago, who would have guessed that Paige could be Emily's type?

"That's great, Pru. What are you wearing?" Paige asked as they hit up the cafeteria line.

"Really, you're sure?" Pru gave her a sideways glance, evidently expecting some form of resistance from Paige.

"Pru, why would I care? It's not like I'm going to use him for anything like that. Don't forget, he's a friend. If you're planning to do your usual 'love'em and leave'em', please don't be a jerk about it."

"Scout's honour. Now, what did you want to eat?"

"I'm going to grab a shake, solid food is a little dodgy this late in the game. I'll just..." Paige paused, catching sight of Samara as she walked through the courtyard. Dark eyes narrowed at the blonde's confident strut.

What the hell did it take to be that self assured? Was she missing a gene? When it came to athletics, there were few that could compare to her. Paige would confidently throw her hat in the ring against any opponent. But day to day life? What was the key? Why had Samara had the courage to come out? The conviction to stick out her choices? The luck to get Emily?

"Hey, it's not Hastings. Save the hate stare for the enemy," Pru said, nudging Paige along in the cafeteria line. "What's the matter? You got a thing against bottle blondes?"

Paige was struck by the comment, wondering if some part of her had taken an immediate dislike to Samara because of her long grudge against Ali. Aside from the blonde hair and blue eyes, they didn't bear much of a resemblance to one another. It was admittedly unfair of her to judge Samara so harshly, she'd only had cursory contact with her. Still, something in Paige's gut told her that even if she had gotten to know the blonde, they wouldn't have been friends. Maybe it was the fake, sacharrine smile that she didn't trust.

"No," Paige finally answered, shaking the memories of Ali loose. The girl was long dead and though the emotional consequences of her torture lingered, Paige refused to give the girl power any longer. She had moved beyond Ali and her taunts. Paige couldn't let the girl colour her view of life anymore. It was what had gotten her into trouble in the first place. "That's just the girl who's dating Emily."

"Already?! Geeze, she certainly doesn't let the dust settle for long. What is she, the Lesbo Pied Piper of Rosewood? First Maya, then you and now this chick?"

"Ssshhh," Paige admonished, looking around the sparsely occupied cafeteria for anyone who might have overheard Pru.

"What 'ssshhh'? You're going to have to take baby steps toward this eventually. You can't hide forever, no girl wants to date someone in the closet."

"Trust me, I'm well aware," Paige confirmed as she paid for her protein shake. "You know my dad. What am I supposed to say? He freaked out when I started hanging with Emily. If I tell him I'm actually in to girls, he'll probably ship me to a convent in Siberia."

"Yeah, you kind of have a point there. I guess the other option is to just keep your mouth shut until college," Pru mused, motioning for Paige to follow her to one of the empty tables. "Is that your plan?"

"Oh, I have a bad feeling I won't be able to keep it a secret until then."

"It's not like it's written on your forehead, Paige. I mean, now that I know, I don't know how I didn't see it. But it's not like there's a sign around your neck. Just don't mack on girls in public and you'll be fine."

Paige looked at her friend, the truth on the tip of her tongue. Someone knew. Someone other than Emily and they were hellbent on making Paige sweat while they dangled their knowledge just over her head. But, as with everyone else, telling Pru could make her a target in 'A's little game. She didn't dare. Not with eyes and ears that seemed to be everyone, everywhere, constantly picking up tidbits of information that Paige rarely realized she dropped. No, better to fight it out on her own.

"You're right." Paige said. "I'll just... keep my head down for as long as I can and hope for the best."

"Speaking of intrigue. I got a phone upgrade yesterday. iPhone what, bitches?" Pru proudly held up the new device before she pulled out her old phone. "This one'll match your card, won't it?"

Paige pulled out her wallet, the SIM card tucked into the empty change pocket. She had been terrified to leave it anywhere lest her father realize what it was and try to read it. She slid the memory card into place and powered up, smiling to see her contacts come up. The phone was a little outdated but it was certainly better than the game of tin cans on a string that they had been playing at.

"Welcome back to civilization."

"Thanks, Pru."

Paige's watch beeped, it was time to head to the pool to gear up and get in the water. "Showtime. You going to stay for the meet?"

"I would. You know I totally support your athletic adventures and I kind of want to see a throw down between you and Barbie. Sadly, I..."

"Have to get ready for your date with Sean. I see where I rank on the totem pole," Paige teased, waiting for Pru to get up so they could walk together.

"Whatever, hoes before bros. You've been around a lot longer than any of the guys I've dated."

"Considering your record is seven weeks, that's not actually saying much," Paige quipped, earning herself a smack in the stomach from Pru's surprisingly hefty purse. They said their goodbyes at the changeroom, Pru continuing to the parking lot outside while Paige went in to get ready. She was changed and prepped for her warm up before anyone else had arrived, unsurprising given the early hour. She still had half an hour before Coach Fulton's designated meet up time.

The pool deck was quiet save for a few soft splashes in the water, Paige freezing at the sound. There was only one other person it could be. Sure enough, the lithe form cutting through the water was none other than Emily. A smiling Samara sat on the bleachers, watching her warm up.

"I was a bad person. That's it, I was a very bad persona and my karma is coming due," Paige muttered as she grudgingly made her way on deck. No way she was giving ground -on her own turf no less- to this outsider. As far as she was considered, Samara Cook could kiss her well shaped ass.

Paige walked past the seated woman, offering a tight lipped nodded as she headed for the diving board. She knew Emily had seen her when she saw the slight hiccup in her stroke. Obviously neither of them was comfortable with the way this was liable to go down. Paige did her best to maintain her calm, the dark emotions that reared up at the sight of Samara threatening to throw off her stride.

Nothing had changed.

There was a scholarship to solidify and Paige couldn't afford to screw up. She sure as hell wasn't going to let some college kid with a superiority complex take her down. Paige strolled on to the one metre board, stride confident. This was her domain. A quick bounce saw her in a tight dive, body barely splashing with her crisp entry.

There was her focus.

Paige had fostered it well over the years. Learned to tune out the worst of the world in favour of concentrating on the things that kept her sane. If it had worked for one troublesome blonde, it would work for another. Hell, dealing with Samara was child's play when compared to Alison. Samara was nowhere near Ali's league.

Confident that she was capable of ignoring Samara's existence completely, Paige made her way to the top platform. She backed up, heels just over the edge of the concrete platform. A deep breath, a push of powerful legs and Paige completed a neat back flip, sliding easily into the water some thirty feet below.

Emily's eyes were on her as she walked back up the stairs, her teammate never fully rid of her fear of heights. Paige was tempted to give the other girl a thumbs up -a reassurance that she wasn't about to break open her skull- but thought better of it. It wasn't her job to reassure Emily anymore. That torch had been fumbled and picked up by another, Paige left to carry on with the rest of her race alone.

Instead, she took a perverse kind of pleasure in freaking Emily out, lifting her body into an unsteady handstand. She hadn't done a jump from this position more than a handful of times but she was confident in her ability to pull it off. Her spin wasn't as tight as it could have been but, with no formal training, she figured it was passable enough. She hit a little indelicately, not quite able to straighten her body before she hit the water. It didn't hurt, it just wasn't as clean as her others. It was something she would have to work on, though not today.

Paige had fifteen minutes before the others would make their way in and she wanted to be prepped to talk to her team before the competition. Her warm up laps went quickly, mind so focused on her form, on powering through the water with quick efficiency, that she managed to block out Samara completely.

"Paige?"

She stopped at the edge of the pool, looking up at the bare legs of a freshmen who stood nervously on deck.

"What's up, Tanya?" Paige hauled her body out of the pool, shaking off the excess water. She pointedly ignored the curious looks Samara kept sending their way. When the blonde wasn't eavesdropping, she had her eyes locked on Emily, tracking her form as she moved through the water. Paige pursed her lips, she had no right to feel jealous but she couldn't help the irritation that flared at seeing someone else check her friend out. She shook it off, Emily had made her choice, Paige had other people who needed her.

"I... uh, I'm having some trouble with one of the juniors on the guys team. He kinda... keeps picking on me. I thought, maybe, you would know what to do."

Something in the confession peaked Samara's interest, the blonde turning to listen in. Paige pulled her teammate away, having no interest in letting the other girl hear a conversation that was meant for her.

"Who is it?"

"Ben. That guy who used to date Emily before she, you know..." Tanya trailed off nervously. Paige smiled at the anxious girl.

"I understand," Paige assured. "What do you mean by picking on you?"

"He makes these stupid jokes and he tries to hit on me. He grabbed me in the hall a couple of days ago. It just... it makes me feel uncomfortable."

"What kind of jokes?" Paige asked, knowing from her loose experience with the guy that he could be crass at the best of times. Tanya looked out to the water, hazel eyes focusing on Emily for a moment before dropping to the pool deck.

"I guess he saw Emily talking to me after practice one day. He said that..." Tanya trailed off, shrugging uncomfortably.

"I get it." Paige squeezed her arm encouragingly though inside she seethed. "I'll handle it, okay?"

"What are you going to do?"

"I'll speak with Coach Fulton. Just worry about the pool, okay? I promise we'll get this sorted out. C'mon." There wasn't anything she could do for Tanya now, they needed to keep their mind on the meet. But afterward, all bets were off. She wouldn't let Ben terrorize her teammate the way Ali had terrorized her. She had gone through those times on her own, nearly been pulled into the darkness, she wouldn't let it happen to anyone else. Particularly not such a meek kid who was so hard up for help that she had come to Paige. She wouldn't let Tanya down.

She threw an arm across her teammate's shoulders, giving Tanya a companionable squeeze as they walked to the locker room to meet the others.

"Em, time to circle up," Paige called out as she passed, ignoring Samara completely.

Her team rallied around her and Paige gave the best speech she could muster, hoping they came to her more easily as time went on. As it was, she was lucky to slug her way through a shortened version of her Philly speech, the girls already well pumped after coming off their win from the previous week. They cheered and Coach Fulton sent them on their way, ushering them out of the locker room.

"Coach, there's something I have to talk to you about," Paige said, walking shoulder to shoulder with Fulton as the rest of the team preceded them.

"Of course, what's up?"

"We don't have time to get into it right now," Paige said, eyes scanning the quickly crowding pool deck as their opponents filtered in from the guest change room. "Can I talk to you on Monday morning?"

"Sure thing. It has time to wait?"

"I think so." The school week was over and Tanya was unlikely to meet up with Ben over the weekend.

"All right then. In the water, McCullers."

Paige nodded, diving in to the pool to lead her teammates in the initial warm up laps while the coach finalized things with their opponents. The meet went well, Rosewood performing above par in the individual and relay competitions. Their J.V. Squad was noticeably superior, Tanya and Piper making easy work of their competition. It was a solid meet though not exceptional, Paige falling short of her personal best but still out performing her counterpart by nearly three seconds.

After their debrief, Paige changed and headed out of the locker room, nodding at Emily as she passed. Her teammate had won her leg though had fallen shy of her personal best. It was a good meet but they needed to reserve their real power for the coming weeks. Many of their upcoming competitions would be on irregular days and away at other schools.

Paige was in the hallway -texting Pru about her outfit- when she saw Samara walk out of the natatorium with Emily, the blonde's gaze locked on her teammate. She pursed her lips, irritated with being irritated, trying to ignore their conversation as she wrote to Pru.

"I was off my time," Emily said.

"Yeah, but you won."

Paige turned away as the pair sat together, eyes finding the boys swim team as they made their way toward the change room. The boys meets were slotted for later in the evening, the teams generally larger and needing more time in the pool. Ben was amongst them, joking with the others, wolfish eyes scanning the female swimmers that milled about the hall. He was going to be a problem.

Leaving it for next week, Paige pushed off the wall, hitching her bag high on her shoulder as she walked. She caught a snippet of conversation as she passed by, Mrs. Fields happily offering to celebrate Emily's win with Samara.. She shook her head. It figured the blonde would know how to edge her way into Mrs. Fields good graces. Emily's mom had always been polite to Paige, friendly even, but this was different. She knew Emily was dating Samara and was still welcoming, a far cry from the mildly hostile stance Emily said she had taken with Maya.

It wasn't fair.

Her phone beeped as she headed down the hall and Paige opened the message, teeth grinding at the unexpected message from 'A'.

**Poor Pigskin, guess both Fields prefer blondes.-A**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer:** I own only my vague sense of reality.

**Author's Notes:** This chapter contains spoilers up to Season 2, Episode 4, "Blind Dates".

I usually direct reply to reviews however since a few of them had questions this time, I thought I'd answer them for everyone.

**go-sullivan:** Writing tips? In general, practice, practice, practice. Read, read some more, write and then edit like mad. It takes me about half an hour to put out a thousand words on a good day and at least that again to make sure those words make sense. If anyone has specific questions, feel free to PM and I'll try to answer or at least point you in the right direction. I've tried a lot of different methods and none are necessarily right or wrong, just what works for you.

**Guest:** Yes, I've written Shana in, but I intend to do the time jump from S2 to S3 so you may see a bit more of her in mention than in real time.

Please, don't forget to tip your bards. If you take the time to read, do us authors a solid and take the extra second to review.

Thank you, everyone, for the faves/follows and reviews. Much appreciated! Comments and constructive criticism are welcome.

Enjoy!

**888**

Paige shoved the phone into her pocket, stalking past Emily without so much as a nod goodbye. Her vision was nearly clouded with abject rage, the loathed nickname sending her -admittedly weak- control of her temper spiraling. She barely registered that it was Tanya in front of her until the petite freshmen let out an undignified yelp when she passed by Ben and his clique.

"Screw off, Ben," Tanya yelled, shoving him in the chest.

It didn't do any good, Ben only laughed louder at the resistance. Paige, acting without thought, pulled her bag from her shoulder, heaving it at Ben's head with the entire force of her rage. It came at him from the side, unexpectedly, knocking him into one of his buddies. While he recovered, Paige pushed Tanya out of the way before cocking her fist back to launch it at his jaw. Fists tight, hips turning in to the strike, just as she had practiced. Whether from surprise or the force of the blow, Ben hit the deck, staring up in surprise from the cold tile floor. His crew were similarly stunned, the lot of them staring at her in silence while she towered over Ben's downed form, fists balled.

"What the hell, McCullers?!"

"You put your hands on my teammate again, I'll break your nose," Paige promised. She picked up her bag, leading Tanya by the arm as she kicked Ben's feet to get him out of the way. They were halfway down the hall when she heard her name being called by one of the teachers. She stopped, shaking her head at her own impetuous stupidity. Served her right for playing the hero. "Vicky, can you give Tanya a ride home?"

Her teammate, in midst of pulling her books from her locker, nodded. "Sure thing."

"Do you want me to explain? Maybe will go easier on you," Tanya offered, looking past Paige to where Ben's friends were offering him a hand to get up.

"No, don't worry. I've got it." She waited until the two of them were out the door before she turned to go back into the fray. Paige walked past Ben's loosely milling group, warily approaching Tamborelli who had hands on hips and a angry glare. She looked beyond him to Emily and Mrs. Fields, both of them staring at her, Emily with worry in her eyes.

"My office, Miss McCullers." Tamborelli turned, expecting her to follow. Paige heaved a sigh, surprised when Emily stood, following after her down the empty hallway.

"Hey, Paige, wait up."

She stopped, in no real hurry to get to the Vice Principal's office.

"What was that about?"

"Ben was being an ass and I just... I lost my temper." Paige wasn't exactly sure what had happened. The world had suddenly gone red and she had simply unloaded on him. The consequences of assaulting another student hadn't even registered.

"Are you okay?" Emily took her hand, Paige's knuckles already swelling from the contact with Ben's hard, broad jaw. Hitting people definitely hurt more than the movies made it look. Even the occasional bare knuckle wailing on the punching bag hadn't prepared Paige for contact with an actual person. She had gotten into scuffles over the years, to be certain, but she had never had such a clean strike at someone's face. It hadn't been a good decision to hit him but at least she knew her aim was true.

"I think everything's fine. I've broken fingers before, this is just going to be sore." Paige flexed her hand, wincing as she tightened her fist. Sore, yes, broken? Unlikely.

"Hang on a sec, I keep ice packs in my bag." Emily dropped her gear to the ground, kneeling down to search her duffel bag.

"Em, it's fine. Really."

"Paige, stop being a stubborn ass and just give me a sec." Emily pulled out a crackable ice bag and stood, snapping the bag to start the cooling reaction. Paige rolled her eyes but couldn't find it in herself to resist as Emily pulled her hand toward her, resting the ice pack on her knuckles. Emily tugged a scarf from her bag, using it to wrap the ice pack to Paige's hand. "How's that?" Emily looked at her, dark eyes searching for... something.

"It's fine, I uh..." Paige struggled, surprised how easy it still was to sink into Emily's gaze. "I better get going before Tamborelli freaks on me." Paige pulled her hand away. "Besides, you've got dinner with Samara." She couldn't help the bitter tone that crept into her voice.

"I... yeah. I do." Emily seemed taken aback by the sudden change in attitude. "I guess I'll see you later."

In the split second it took for Paige to come to her senses, Emily was already making her way down the hall, anger written in her step. Damn it. Resisting the urge to kick the locker in frustration, she tucked her hand against her chest, hitching her bag high on her shoulder. It was a quick walk to Tamborelli's office, the hallways empty of its usual occupants.

Her cellphone blared and -having a good idea who it was- she'd have tossed the damn thing in the garbage if she hadn't borrowed it from Pru. Grudgingly, she flipped it open, prepared for another taunt.

**Tamborelli hates to lose.-A**

What the hell did that mean?

Tamborelli's door was open when she reached it, the man sitting behind his desk, waiting expectantly. Paige took her seat in front of him, sitting back to see if he would break the silence and speak first. It was a sales tactic her father had taught her, the one who spoke first was consistently the loser of the engagement.

"We don't accept violence in our school, Miss McCullers," Tamborelli led with.

"Then you should talk to Ben about keeping his hands to himself. He's been harassing one of my teammates."

"Then she should have approached a teacher, a counselor or myself."

"We were planning to speak with Coach Fulton on Monday. Unfortunately, Ben is too much of an ass to mind his manners for even a night."

"Miss McCullers!" Her indifferent attitude was pissing him off and -as much as she knew she shouldn't have hit Ben- she did take a certain pleasure in being able to easily irritate him.

"I should have you suspended for your outburst." His tone said it was what he wanted to do -punish her for her obstinance as much as for the assault. For whatever reason, he was holding himself back.

Paige's eyes flicked to the trophies that he kept on his shelves, overflow from the main trophy case at the school entrance. He loved winning. He hated to lose. Confident 'A' had given her some kind of ace in the hole, Paige leaned back, prepared to negotiate.

"And then what?" she asked, kicking her gear bag absently. "Watch the swim season tank?"

"It's not a one person team, Miss McCullers."

"No, it's not. But there are only two reasons that the universities are down here looking at Rosewood High. And I'm one of them." If Paige were suspended, she wouldn't be able to compete. She and Emily were arguably the backbone of the team and they were better together than apart. To split the star anchor from the star starter would inevitably drag their standings down. This close to qualifiers for state competition, it wasn't a loss Rosewood could afford. Paige could practically hear the gears turning in Tamborelli's head.

"You'll serve a week of lunch detentions, Miss McCullers. Consider yourself lucky."

Paige nodded, accepting the near miss with grace and walked from the office. She let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, whole body threatening to revolt at the nerves that suddenly rushed at her. What the hell had she been thinking? Cold cocking a star swimmer? One of Sean's friends no less? She was lucky. If it weren't for her good standings, she could have found herself off the team, out of luck, with no scholarships in sight. She had let her temper get the best of her and it had nearly cost her everything.

Again.

Paige had never been a particularly gentle girl. Rough and tumble sports had called to her early on. Her father's guidance had never done anything but foster a strong will to compete- to never back down, no matter the size of her opponent. She had taken that same strategy into her war with Ali, digging in her heels, refusing to give in.

It hadn't worked.

Ali's ruthless nature had far outweighed Paige's competitive side, the girl quickly dragging their one on one fight into a merciless war. Paige's frustration had mounted with every day, forced to fight like hell only to be mired down in the drama of Ali's antics. Every move she made was countered, Ali engaging with progressively more menacing tactics, pushing Paige to the limit of what she was willing to do.

Pru -in the midst of discovering high school boys and navigating the social ocean- hadn't been of much help. When Paige reflected on it, that was at least partially her fault. She had told Pru of the teasing but with Ali, that was nothing new. Everyone had been on the barbed end of one of her insults. Too afraid her secret would be revealed, Paige had shut down, refusing to tell anyone how devious and damaging Ali's games had become. Paige had instead taken her frustrations out on herself, violence turned inward for want of anywhere else to direct it.

That's what 'A' was doing to her now. Paige had come out swinging, 'A' simply sitting back to watch her knock herself down. Two years later and Paige still hadn't learned her lesson.

The ride to her house was a cold one, made more so by the dark thoughts that swirled in her brain as pedaled. When Paige arrived home, her parents were long done with supper, lounging on the couch, watching TV. She had no desire for small talk but also knew that presenting anything other than semi pleasant conversation was bound to get into questions she wasn't able to answer.

"Hey, Honey, how did the meet go?" her mom asked.

"Good, great, we hammered them."

"We're in a good position for state finals then," her father said.

"Coach thinks so, this month is going to be crazy. They have to squeeze in extra meets before we go to the qualifiers because of all the pools that weren't ready in September."

He nodded, turning back to the TV without further acknowledgment. It had been that way since their blow-up. He would speak with her about topics he deemed 'safe' but anything beyond that had fallen under her mother's purview. Paige didn't feel up to a play by play so she excused herself, grabbing a piece of fruit from the basket and headed for her room.

Paige sat on her bed, Pru's borrowed phone tucked into her hand, debating her next move. The incident with Ben had shaken her. It wasn't that she hit him. He'd had it coming. It wasn't even that she did it in public. Truth be told, Paige thought it set a better example for him to keep his damn hands to himself.

No, it wasn't that Paige regretted what she had done, it was that she hadn't thought about it first. Her entire life had been a tally of calculations, carefully set out to guide her toward her end goals. One taunting tweet from 'A' -coupled with the emotional roller coaster of the last while- was all it took to take years of carefully cultivated control and chuck them out the window.

Only two other people had inspired her to act so impulsively, Ali and Emily. Once again, she had allowed someone else to take control of her and the frustration was beginning to bleed out. She needed do to something, now, before she turned that anger inward.

It would cost her everything. Being shipped to another school was best case scenario. Paige had been loathe to fight, afraid to lose what little she had left with Emily, but the tactic had backfired. Emily was moving on. The only chance she had to salvage anything and be free from 'A', was to be honest.

It had to be better than this. Better than always looking over her shoulder, terrified that 'A' had pulled the trigger and she was walking into a war zone. The only reason 'A' had power was because they possessed the one secret that terrified Paige into silence. What had that gotten her? Nearly kicked off the swim team, a stunted and ultimately failed relationship with Emily, months of stress. Jumping at every shadow, every text, wondering if this was the day 'A' made good on their threat. Now that she looked at it calmly, no longer held hostage by her fear, it was simple.

That was it.

"I've had enough of this shit." Paige threw her cellphone to the side, hauling her body out of bed. She walked up the stairs, some pro-Republican commercial playing on the TV for the next election. Oh irony, thy name is McCullers.

Taking a seat in the recliner, Paige turned her body to face her parents rather than the television. Her mom was the first to notice, prodding her father in the ribs.

"What's up, Sweetheart?"

"I... uh..." Paige stumbled, she hadn't really thought this through. Her knee jerk reaction had left her without time to plan even the most basic of counter arguments. Maybe she should give it a little bit. Now that she was firmly set in her resolve to tell, what could it hurt to give it some thought? Surely there was a better way to do it than randomly springing it on them. Suddenly, Emily's idea of sending them an email didn't seem so ludicrous.

"Paige?" her father prompted, ice blue eyes boring into her, demanding answers. She had to give them something.

"I know we've been fighting, a lot," she directed her words mostly to her father. "I really don't want to."

"We only want what's best for you, Paige."

"I know. I also know that what's best for me is to be truthful, to you and to myself and I haven't been, not for awhile."

"What do you mean?"

Paige tried to find a way to explain why everything seemed to have gone so wrong so quickly. "I think that I've been hard to deal with because I feel like I have an issue I can't talk to you about. I'm trying to be me," Paige stopped, Coach Fulton's words coming to mind. "The best version of me that I can be."

"You can talk to us about anything," her mom assured, leaning forward to take Paige's hand. "Whatever it is, we'll deal with it together. As a family."

"Now, wait a minute, you're not pregnant are you?"

"Nick!"

Paige hung her head, shaking it. "No, Dad, I'm not pregnant."

"What is it then? Drugs? Paige, I swear to God..."

"No! Dad, it's nothing...bad... I..." Paige paused, letting her mind take her back to that night in Emily's room, when she had first said it out loud. She used Emily's bravery to buoy her, wrapping that moment of acceptance around herself like a blanket. If she ever wanted to be herself, to truly be free, this was the only way. Paige took a steadying breath, focusing her gaze on her mother, concentrating on the love she saw reflected there. "I'm gay."

Her mother blinked, as if processing her words, hand holding more tightly to Paige.

Her father was not so quiet.

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard! We raised you properly not to be... to be this."

"Dad, there's nothing wrong with it." She'd had this argument in her head so many times and she still had no better rebuttal.

"I beg to differ. This is a perversion."

"Nick," her mom admonished before turning her attention back to Paige. "Honey, are...are you sure? Have you talked to anyone?"

"I'll tell you who she's talked to, that damn Fields girl and her enabling mother, that's who."

"Dad, that's not fair. It's not Emily's fault." It was such a familiar argument, she barely registered the words coming out of her mouth. Paige stood, refusing to allow her father to target Emily for her perceived shortcomings. It was the first time she had ever bucked against him about something so fundamental and it obviously wasn't to his liking.

"The hell it's not. Her mother letting her run around like she's normal. Your coach fostering the behaviour as though it were acceptable." Nick turned to his wife. "I told you that damn school was feeding into their agenda."

"Dad," Paige tried to head off his rant before he gathered too much steam.

"Go to your room, Paige."

"What? Why?"

"Because your mother and I have to discuss how to fix this."

"Fix this? You mean fix me!" Paige stared him down, daring him to refute her. He didn't so much as blink, confirmation written in his eyes. Shaking with frustration, Paige struggled to find the right words, knowing he was wrong but unable to explain it in a way he could understand.

Kissing Emily, being with Emily, had felt more right than anything before or since. Those feelings couldn't be wrong, she couldn't be wrong. But she refused to give him ammunition against Emily, refused to make the girl she loved the villain of the story. For once, she would stand her ground against him. For once, she would fight back.

"You can't fix me, Dad. There's nothing broken. I'm the same person I was when I walked in the door and you know what, I like that person. For the first time, in a long time, I like me. Nothing you do is going to change that."

With that, Paige brushed by her still silent mother, slamming the door on her way downstairs. She lay on on her bed, body near vibrating as she fought to hold back the tears borne both of sadness and joy. She knew she had potentially destroyed her relationship with her parents but she had finally stood her ground.

Like Emily had said, she was out. Whatever else happened, she didn't have to worry about it anymore. 'A's power over her was gone, Paige's greatest secret laid bare before those she feared knowing it most.

Paige couldn't help but wonder what came next. That her father spoke of 'fixing' her didn't bode well. There had been rumours of one congregation member who had ended up at some sort of deprogramming camp. As much as Paige loved her parents, she wouldn't -couldn't- do that for them. She had only just become comfortable with herself. She wasn't about to let some stuffed shirt zealot undo all the work she had done. She refused to believe the way she felt about Emily was wrong.

Yelling brought her attention back to her parents and Paige sat up, making her way to the top landing and tucked herself beside the door.

"Did you hear how she spoke to me?!"

"As ye reap, so shall ye sow."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"It means you've bullied her into being a fighter since the beginning, Nick. You can't honestly be surprised that she came out swinging when you backed her into a corner."

"She was never supposed to fight me! I'm on her team."

"Are you sure? Because nothing in the last ten minutes has shown her that."

"You're telling me that you accept...this?"

"Yes. Like it? No? But accept it, yes." Her mother said, voice weary. "Think about it, Nick. She knows exactly how you feel about people like her. She's had to hide herself for who knows how long, terrified of how we'd react. Do you really think she would tell us, tell you, if she weren't certain?"

"This is unacceptable, I'm going to find someone to fix this."

"She's not a car. You don't take her into a mechanic to replace a part you don't like. She's our daughter, Nick. We could lose her over this."

The thought seemed to give him pause. Paige closed her eyes, letting her mother's words wash over her. It wasn't a ringing endorsement but her mother was fighting for her. It was a start.

"Be honest with yourself, are you really that surprised? She's doted on Emily since the ninth grade, you know that. Every second sentence had something to do with her. Why do you think you tried so hard to keep them apart?"

"I told you that girl was a bad influence."

"Paige is your daughter, a McCullers to the core. Do you really think she could be influenced to do anything she didn't want to do? To be someone that she isn't meant to be? Nick, I've watched her suffer with this, never able to get her to open up. She finally has. If this is who she is, if this is what it takes to pull her out of the darkness, I'll take it and be grateful."

"And if this isn't who she is?"

"Then we'll deal with that too. Until then, I plan to support her as best as I can. She's hurting, Nick. She's our daughter and she needs us."

"I can't support this, I can't."

"I love you, Nick, you're my husband and I will stand by you in almost all things. But I won't let you hurt our daughter just to save face."

"I..."

"Don't test me on this. You'll lose."

She heard her parents split in opposite directions, her father's heavier steps headed for the stairs, her mom toward the kitchen. Paige walked back to her room, the entire evening suddenly surreal.

That was it.

She was out.

Out to her parents. Out of the 'A' game. She had taken her life back, wrested control of her greatest secret back into her own hands. She wasn't stupid. There was fallout to come and she knew it. But the weight that had pressed down on her for so long, dogging at the back of her mind in every moment, was gone. The times of watching every phrase, every look, every thought -lest she somehow tip her hand- were over. She was free.

Paige pulled out her cellphone, she needed to text Pru and let her know what had happened. Worse came to worse, she could try to stay at her house for a few days while everything died down. The phone beeped as she flipped it open, an attachment sent to her inbox. Paige opened it, heart dropping as the image sharpened. Emily's Danby letter. A second beep heralded a text from the blocked number she suddenly still had reason to fear.

**You're not out yet. -A**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer:** I own only my vague sense of reality.

**Author's Notes:** This chapter contains spoilers up to Season 2, Episode 6, "Blind Dates".

Please, don't forget to tip your bards. If you take the time to read, do us authors a solid and take the extra second to review.

Thank you, everyone, for the faves/follows and reviews. Much appreciated! Comments and constructive criticism are welcome.

Enjoy!

**888**

The weekend passed in awkward tension, Paige making a point to be at the pool or with Pru for its entirety. She hadn't crossed paths with her father since Friday which was a welcome relief. She spoke with her mother, briefly, on Saturday as she was hurtling out the door to practice with Keith. Otherwise, she had been on her own, odd but a far shot better than the continual sermons she had expected.

Monday morning before practice was easy enough. She was up before the rest of the family as was the new custom, her mother leaving a bowl of oatmeal prepped for the microwave on the counter. When breakfast was sorted, she threw on her cold weather gear, slung her bag over her shoulders and pedalled for the club. Her session with Keith was its usual intense pace and she made it to the Sharks pool with a few minutes to spare, her new shortcut peeling a couple minutes of her time.

"McCullers, my office."

Paige looked over to Coach Fulton, eyes skipping over to Tanya who did an amazing impression of a deer in headlights. Crap. Paige took a breath, nodding at her Coach before following after her. "Em, can you warm them up please? This might take a few minutes." Paige requested as she passed the seated girl.

"Sure thing."

She padded along in her flip flops, having a good idea what this was going to be about as she sat in the visitors chair, waiting for the lecture.

"Assaulting a student Paige?"

"More like a neanderthal," she rebutted before her brain wrestled back control of her mouth. The frown from Coach Fulton let her know the joke wasn't welcome. "It was Ben, that creep on the guys team. He's been harassing Tanya and she came to me about it on Friday. That's what I wanted to talk to you about today."

"So you just decided to handle the problem yourself?"

"I didn't mean to," Paige admitted. She'd had every intention of handling the issue like an adult until 'A' had thrown in their two cents. "Ben grabbed Tanya right in front of me, I just... blanked."

"You blanked? Paige, that's not acceptable behaviour."

"I know, Mr. Tamborelli already spoke with me."

"Well, now I'm speaking with. Paige, I'm not here to punish you, Tamborelli has already taken care of that. I'm concerned about you. I know there's a lot of pressure on you right now, on a number of fronts. I think you may want to consider getting some help coping with those pressures."

"Help? Like... like a shrink?"

"A therapist," Fulton gently corrected. "Someone who can help you manage your emotions a little more effectively, give you some coping strategies." Coach Fulton pulled out a sheet of paper, handing Paige a list of counsellors and psychotherapists in the Rosewood area. "Just consider it."

Paige took a breath, pausing and forcibly pushing down on the stinging sense of failure. 'A' had pushed her far enough that even Coach thought she was cracking. Wonderful. And therapy? Seriously? Therapy was for freaks. McCullers' didn't do therapy.

Paige glanced at her bare legs, lips pursing at the faint scars that criss crossed her skin. No. Her family didn't communicate well at all. They just repressed their emotions until they cut themselves, lashed out at their peers or drank themselves into an early grave. Maybe it was time to change the trend. Still, the idea of it struck her as somewhat ridiculous. Talking about her feelings? To a stranger? If there was a more uncomfortable thought, Paige was hard pressed to imagine it. She knew Fulton though, her coach wouldn't be satisfied unless Paige at least considered the option.

"Which one would you recommend, if I had to pick one?"

"From what I understand, Dr. Sullivan has had some great results and you might feel more comfortable speaking with a woman."

"Telling girls about feelings is what got me into this mess in the first place," Paige said, only half joking as she pushed herself out of the chair, Coach Fulton following suite.

"If nothing changes, nothing changes. C'mon, we have a big meet to get ready for. I hear that Danby scout is going to be back to check on you again soon."

"Thanks, Coach. For everything."

"You can do this, Paige. You just have to keep moving forward."

"Like a shark."

"Just like a shark," Coach Fulton agreed.

**888**

Wednesday morning, news of Ian's suicide made its way through the halls, Emily and her friends -Hastings in particular- the talk of the school once more. It seemed everyone heaved a sigh of relief, parents and teenagers alike, the town suddenly safe now that the murder mystery had been solved. Paige had been vigilant since Ali's disappearance, the issue of a killer on the loose a real concern. But she had never feared her town the way some of the others had, assuming early on that Ali's killer had been someone with an axe to grind. She wouldn't be so heartless to say Ali had it coming but she doubted the blonde had been blameless in bringing about her own demise.

Paige made a point of checking on Emily through Vicky and Chloe, leery of getting to close to her teammate for fear McNab would cause more trouble. She didn't want to hide her friendship with Emily but she wasn't in a stable enough position to flaunt it either, not until she had a solid grasp of her father's plans.

To that effect, Paige made a point of being at the pool or the library for most of the week, dragging Sean along with her to forestall any potential lectures. Sean seemed happy enough to do it, allowing Paige to tutor him in his weaker subjects, final exams on the immediate horizon. He had enjoyed his date with Pru, laughing off Paige's apology if she had made things weird by clocking his friend Ben.

"Don't worry about it, Paige. I've seen him get a little rowdy, he probably had it coming. It's my fault anyway, I'm the one who taught you how to punch."

Paige accepted the good natured teasing the way it was meant, glad for his simple company. He wasn't stupid by any stretch but he didn't ask much of her. He didn't want her to explain why she was down, simply said he was there if she needed to talk and moved on, joking with her to get her spirits up. She appreciated it, wishing she had met him earlier. He had hung in Ali's circle back in the day and Paige had written him off as too dangerous to approach. She was glad times had changed.

By the time Sunday evening rolled around, the atmosphere at home was particularly cool. Her father hadn't joined them for dinner in days, 'work' keeping him late at the office. Paige sat at the table, eyes scanning the area for some kind of bug. 'A' had been far too privy to her conversations. Either they were stalking her twenty four hours a day or they had managed to slip surveillance equipment into the house. If that were the case, Paige wasn't sure she would ever find it. Her mother was a total neat freak, if anyone was going to track down something out of place, it was her.

"Would you like me to drive you to your lesson tomorrow? It's getting too cold to ride."

"No, Mom, I'm okay. I dragged Sean to the bike shop to get some winter gear this afternoon."

Her mother nodded agreeably, cutting at her chicken breast without really looking at Paige. It had been that way for over a week, her mother barely able to catch her eyes before she looked away. As much as her mom said she accepted Paige's revelation, it was obvious she wasn't comfortable with it.

"I messed everything up, didn't I?" Paige asked, her feeling of freedom weighed down by the tension that pervaded the large house. What had set her free had shackled both her parents in ways she wasn't sure she understood.

"No." Her mother put down her fork, just so, before reaching across the table to take Paige's hand. "You were honest with us, just like we've always asked you to be. I'm proud of you for that."

"Yeah but that wasn't a truth that you or Dad wanted to hear."

"Maybe not, but we needed to hear it, Paige. Your father especially. He would have spent the rest of your life trying to put you in a box that didn't fit. It would have hurt you both and eventually destroyed your relationship."

"I think I pretty much destroyed it all on my own."

"You didn't." Her mother squeezed her hand. "I promise you haven't. He loves you, Paige, very much. But he loves the Church too. He has to find a way to reconcile the person you are with his beliefs. Just like you did. It took you time to come terms with who you are, didn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess it did." Paige had spent years repressing herself, fear driving her to lock her emotions in a tight box. It had only been since Emily that she truly began to accept who she was.

"That's all he needs, Paige, time. He's a very smart man who loves his family, he'll come to his senses."

"What about you?"

"I love God, Sweetheart, and I love you. I refuse to believe that God would make you what you are just to punish you for it. It's a sin not to embrace the gifts he gives us and you're the greatest gift I could ask for. I'm sorry if that message got lost in everything else we've tried to teach."

Paige stood, circling the table to fall to her knees and lay herself across her mother's lap, arms cinched tight around her waist as she sobbed out her relief.

All the time she had envied Emily her mother when her own had merely been waiting for Paige to trust in her enough to help. All the time she wasted, all the pain she had created for herself and love had been waiting for her. Paige cried harder at the realization, that she had intentionally cut herself off from one of the people who would fight hardest for her.

"Oh, Baby. It's going to be okay. I promise you."

When Paige had cried herself out -eyes red, nose stuffed, her mom rubbing calming circles on her back- she pulled away to see her sorrows reflected in her mother's eyes. It hadn't been just herself who had been hurt by her keeping secrets.

"How about we eat supper on the couch, watch a movie?" her mom asked, running her hands through Paige's hair. She nodded, collecting their plates while her mom grabbed the glasses and they tucked themselves in to the soft couch, watching the first comedy show they came across. When supper was done, Paige lay against her mother, soaking in the comfort, the warmth of her love dragging her into a deep sleep.

She woke in the middle of the night, blearily rubbing sleep from her eyes as she looked around. Wait. Bed? How the hell had she gotten down here? She searched her memory for any recollection of getting off the couch, finding little. She vaguely remembered her father coming home, eyes opening momentarily before her emotional exhaustion dragged her back into the abyss. Arms under shoulders and legs, a slight jostle and then... nothing. He must have carried her downstairs. Paige thought she recalled him pressing a kiss to her forehead before pulling the covers over her shoulders. The memory was so lost in the haze of sleep that she wasn't even sure it was real.

Paige chose to believe it was as she looked over at the picture on her night stand, the three of them in biking gear, her father's arm thrown companionably over her shoulder as they smiled into the camera.

"Love you too, Dad."

**888**

A week later, nothing much changed but the date- Paige sat on the couch, settled nicely into the perfect spot. A bowl of popcorn was on the coffee table, sparkling water just within reach, her Nana's blanket wrapped tight around her body as she flicked through some pre-prime time offerings. It was the first time in weeks she had been able to commandeer the TV upstairs, her parents out for the night with the McNabs. It had been a long week, throwing herself into extra practices to prepare for whenever the Danby scout might appear. She hadn't seen much of Emily, her teammate showing up and bearing down for practice but otherwise making herself scarce while she helped Hastings prepare for tonight's fashion show.

Paige couldn't help but roll her eyes at the whole thing. Why Hastings, of all people, had thrown herself into something so... girly, she didn't understand. Though, from the rumours that had been making the rounds at school, Mona had long ago wrested the reins away from Hastings and taken control of the event. That was a catfight she would have paid to see.

Paige's phone beeped just as she got into a episode of some medical drama and she absently flipped it open, frowning at the blocked number. Ah, her chit was coming due. She had thought these last couple of weeks had been too quiet.

"Wonderful, what fresh hell is this?" She opened the text.

**Back door.-A**

Grinding her teeth as she threw off her blanket, Paige stalked toward the kitchen, tugging a hockey stick from the umbrella stand as she went. She pulled back the curtain to check for anyone outside though she was certain 'A' was long gone. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, she opened the door, a small cardboard envelope resting on the cement stair.

A quick scoop and it was in her hands, the hand drawn cartoon of a pig in a evening gown doing nothing to endear Paige to what lay inside.

"You're so freaking funny," she muttered, closing the door before she walked over to the butcher's block to grab a knife. She slit the envelope at the side, shaking the contents on to the counter. A ticket to the fashion show tonight and a CD.

"Dear, Diary: Today, I let my cellphone bully me into wearing a dress."

She didn't need a reminder of why she was still in 'A's power. The stupid Danby letter was liable to haunt her for the rest of her days. Paige walked downstairs to her bedroom, wondering what the hell she was going to wear. Her closet wasn't really full of evening gowns. Jeans, workout gear and some unfortunate skirt sets that her parents had gotten her over the years. Nothing she could use to go to a fancy fashion show thrown by Rosewood elite. Paige was already dialling Pru's number as she threw the ticket and the CD into her purse.

"What's up?"

"I need help." Paige paused. "Fashion help," she grudgingly revealed.

"I've been telling you that for years."

Paige resisted the urge to rise to the bait. "I need a dress for the fashion show."

"The one that starts in half an hour? How'd you even get tickets? I thought it was sold out."

"One of my dad's clients had an extra and since Dad isn't really into fashion..." Paige let the rest of the sentence hang, a bit disturbed that the lie had fallen so easily from her lips.

"And you are?"

Huh. Paige hadn't really thought that part of her cover story out.

"Wait a minute, I see what's up. You're not so much into the fashion as the model." Paige knew the tone in Pru's voice meant trouble. "Are you seriously going to creep this thing just so you can check Emily out in a dress?"

"Uh..." Crap, she had forgotten Emily was one of the models. Wait, Emily was a model. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

"Whatever, stalker. Come over I'll put some stuff out."

Paige clicked off the phone and grabbed the keys for her mom's car, sliding easily into the drivers seat to make the short drive to the Pru's house. She knocked once and let herself in, Pru's parent's car not in the drive.

Pru was as good as her word, using the ten minute warning to lay out three dresses and matching shoes, her make up box open on the desk. Paige dropped her bag on the bed, eyes set on the litany of lip glosses and eye shadows that Pru was lining up.

"No, make up."

"Yes, make up."

"Pru."

"Paige."

They stared one another down, Paige's height doing nothing to intimidate her shorter friend.

"You're going to a fashion event, I'm not letting you go half dressed. Besides, if Emily is there, Barbie probably will be too and you can't show up looking less than your best."

"I don't even know how your appeal to my competitive side ends with me being dressed up like a doll."

"I'm a genius, that's how. Now, sit down and shut up."

**888**

Paige walked in to the lobby, the banner for the 'Rosewood Charity Fashion Show' hanging over the entrance to the hall proper. She traded her coat for a numbered ticket, tucking it into her borrowed clutch as she headed for the door. She passed by the mirrors at the entrance, barely able to recognize herself as she walked.

Pru had pulled her hair up in a simple braid that tucked ever obstinate bangs away from her face. The dress wasn't one she would have chosen for herself, a black silk number with a halter top that tied into an intricate knot behind her neck. The bottom ended just above her knees, showing off a little more leg than she was comfortable with. She was also leery of exposing her shoulders and back so fully but Pru had assured her that not only was it perfectly appropriate, but the dress highlighted toned muscles to good effect.

The black stiletto sandals had done much the same, the unfamiliar footwear forcing her calves to stand out, making lean legs seem even longer than normal. The extra two inches of heel had left Paige towering over Pru who had whistled appreciably before slapping her on the butt and sending her on her way.

Paige felt in no way comfortable -either with the look or the practicality of the dress- but as she handed her ticket to a similarly dressed young woman, she at least didn't look out of place. As she walked in, eyes taking in the elaborate set-up, Paige realized she had no idea was she was supposed to be doing. 'A's message hadn't exactly been clear.

She decided to hit the bar first, ordering a soda water with lemon, more for something to fiddle with than any real need for a drink. She looked out over the slowly gathering crowd, the actual show not set to start for another half hour.

Emily walked in shortly after her drink arrived, her teammate at the back end of a long row of girls that Paige assumed were the other models. Emily turned, catching sight of Paige though it was evident in her expression that it took a few moments to register who she was looking at. Emily ducked out of the line and walked over, a somewhat confused smile gracing her features.

"Paige? You look amazing."

"I... uh.. it's nothing." Paige waved it off, feeling the blush creep up her neck at the compliment.

"It's not 'nothing'. You should be up there modelling with the way you look. I didn't even know you were in to fashion."

"I'm not," Paige admitted. "Not really. Someone couldn't come so I ended up with the ticket and thought, you know, what the heck?"

"I'm glad you're here, it helps having some friendly faces in the crowd. Have a good time, okay?"

"Will do." Paige waved, Emily turning to follow after the group, only to turn back.

"Paige?"

"Yeah?"

"You really do look gorgeous. Thanks for coming." One last smile and Emily jogged after the others, leaving Paige to melt in peace. Her body threatened to make her pass out her system worked to restore blood to her brain.

"One of these days...One of these days, I'll be able to have a whole conversation with that girl without my chest feeling like it's going to explode."

Paige looked over the crowd, catching sight of Mona struggling with a stack of pamphlets and folders, the smaller girl nearly obscured by the pile. Figuring she could manage one good deed before 'A' made her screw the whole thing up, Paige left her glass on the bar and walked over.

"Mona?"

"Paige McCullers." The girl was at once harried and in total control, an odd combination that Paige hadn't really seen on her. A set of flyers threatened to slide off the top and Paige reached over, clamping a hand down to keep the stack intact.

"Uh...you want a hand with any of this?" Paige asked, already sliding part of the stack off so Mona could at least see over the top.

"Oh, God, would you? I still have to get these tables organized. Can you take those folders? I'll take the pamphlets up to the front to be handed out."

Paige hung the clutch off her wrist, surprised by the weight of the folders as she propped them against her chest. "Any particular place you want them?"

"There's a table just inside the dressing room, there should be bunch of folders just like it."

"I'm on it."

"Killer dress by the way," Mona threw over her shoulder as she walked away. Paige couldn't help but smile, feeling a little less self conscious as she walked back to the dressing room,. If Mona -the uber fashion queen- said she looked good, there had to be something to it.

Paige found the table easily enough, cursing as the folders slid down in an attempt to make a total mess. She caught all but the top one, a clear plastic folder that hit the deck with a thud. Satisfied the rest of the folders were stable, she crouched down, frowning at the awkwardness of the manoeuvre. How the hell did people do this without flashing their goods to the world?

She picked up the folder, a CD inside, 'Ali's Memorial' written on the case.

"Ah, crap." Paige pulled the CD from her clutch, a match for the blank in the case. She had never liked Ali. The girl had been a flat out psychopathic bitch from the word 'go'. But dishonouring her memorial, in front of hundreds of people no less, left a bad taste in her mouth. Paige didn't have a choice. It was what she told herself as she changed out CD in the case. To save herself and by proxy, Emily, it had to be done. It was odd, Paige was finally getting her revenge on Ali and she wasn't even in a position to enjoy it. 'A' took the fun out of everything. Bitch.

CD switch complete, Paige walked out of the dressing room, slipping the original CD into her clutch. She had every intention of leaving -having no desire to see the result of her handiwork- when she bumped into someone. She opened her mouth to apologize, words caught in her throat when she recognized the woman she'd hit.

"Paige."

"Samara."

She nodded to the blonde and her pink haired companion, pointedly choosing not to comment about the two women holding hands. Paige didn't know about anyone else, but if she had Emily's hand to hold, she certainly wouldn't be wasting her time with some pink haired dwarf. But that was Samara's business, not hers.

"Well, bye." With that, Paige was off, heading for the door. The exit was in sight and nearly in reach when Mona suddenly appeared in front of her. "Jesus! You're like a freaking ninja."

"And where are you going, Paige McCullers?"

She chose to ignore the weird way the girl kept addressing her, putting her hand on her stomach. "Uh, I'm not feeling so hot, Mona. I think I'm going to..."

"You can not bail. I need this show to be a success, my future as an event planner depends on it. Grab a barf bucket and buckle in, Sweetie, you're not going anywhere."

Paige's eyes widened at the order, the somewhat manic look on Mona's face telling her that disobedience wouldn't breed pleasant consequences.

"Mona..."

"Oh, gosh, there's Mrs. DiLaurentis, I have to speak with her. You go sit down." Mona ushered her to one of the seats by the runway and skittered off to deal with the rest of the set-up.

Accepting the inevitable, Paige sat, texting back and forth with Pru as the seats filled up around her. The lights of the main hall dimmed, the runway spotlight flipping on as the masters of ceremony took their places and droned on about the fashion show's history. Paige couldn't have cared less, anxious to get out before whatever was on that CD came to light. She scanned the area for Mona, wondering if she could sneak past the smaller girls' defences. Mrs. Fields caught eyes with her as she searched, the stunned expression a testament to Paige's wardrobe change. She offered a smile and a shrug, returning the thumbs up from the older Fields.

"Do I usually look like a hobo or what?" She was going to have to start rethinking her daywear if one night in a dress had caused this much of a commotion.

Samara was front row, near Mrs. Fields, sitting far closer to her little friend than Paige thought appropriate. The blonde didn't notice her as they waited, despite Paige sending out a Hastings level glare that should have dropped her at twenty paces. She hadn't realized how intense her dislike could be for someone she had barely spoken to.

The music kicked in, distracting Paige from the meddling blonde and pulling her attention to the runway. Photo flashes began to pop as the models came around the corners, showcasing the latest designs from the local haute couture shops.

Even Hastings looked hot, Paige grudgingly admitted to herself, strutting long legs with all the authority she reserved for the hockey pitch. Still, as amazing as everyone looked, they could have all been in garbage sacks for all she cared once Emily took the stage. Each outfit seemed more alluring than the last, Emily's confidend gait serving only to bolster her beauty.

The overall fashion show experience wasn't as painful as had Paige expected. It was a rare occasion that she could openly oggle scores of good looking women without feeling like a total creeper. When the show was over, Ali's foursome stood at the edge of the platform, Emily in blue dress that left Paige staring stupidly.

The MCs announced the Ali memorial montage, the girls standing together at the front of the runway. Paige crossed her arms, holding on to her biceps so hard she thought she was liable to bruise herself as she waited. It couldn't be long now, the show was almost over. Whatever she had set in motion with 'A's disc, it would happen soon.

The first few seconds seemed innocuous enough and then the trouble started, the music changing and the picture of Ali destroyed. Paige's gaze went up to Emily, she and the others stunned as they watched.

Paige looked away, hoping to forget the pain in Emily's eyes as everyone around her began to chatter. Hastings was on the ball -no surprise there- hopping down in heels with a grace that Paige could only wonder at. She sprinted for Noel's dj station to pull out the connectors, immediately silencing the ominous laughter. Emily was tugged backstage by Hannah, Aria standing, looking out at the crowd.

The people quickly began to disperse, breaking off in groups, making no attempt to quiet their theories of who was responsible. Paige got to her feet as well, eyes finding Mona who was staring at the stage, arms crossed, hard stare locked on the projector screen. Paige could understand, all the work she had done and it had been ruined. Shaking her head, Paige made her way to the exit and collected her coat, the image of a horrified Emily burned into her brain.

Paige didn't know what to think anymore. She had always assumed 'A' was some sort of Ali apprentice, picking up where the other girl had left off with her death. But this... this smacked of someone who had a hate on for Ali that rivalled Paige's own. It significantly deepened the suspect pool. Damn near all of Rosewood had reason to see the girl suffer.

Wonderful.

Her phone beeped and Paige flipped it open, a picture of three cartoon pigs popping up in familiar positions. A second message beeped, automatically opening.

**Hear no evil. See no evil. Speak no evil. -A**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer:** I own only my vague sense of reality. It can be a fun place to play.

**Author's Notes:** I slightly misjudged my chapter cut offs. The option to correct the issue was either extreme chopping or beefing up and backing two (possibly three) chapters right against one another. Consensus seemed to be 'less chopping, more posting'. I aim to please, so here we go. This chapter contains spoilers up to Season 2, Episode 8, "Save The Date".

Please, don't forget to tip your bards. If you take the time to read, do us authors a solid and take the extra second to review.

Thank you, everyone, for the faves/follows and reviews. Much appreciated! Comments and constructive criticism are welcome.

Enjoy!

**888**

Paige slid into her usual seat at the cafeteria, first in place at the table. She looked out over the crowded area, eyes finding Caleb, the new kid Hannah had been dating. She wasn't sure whether the pair were still together. She remembered hearing rumours Caleb had left Rosewood temporarily and come back for Hannah but couldn't be sure. He had a reputation for being savvy with technology and she had a feeling that was about to come in handy.

She wrote her phone number on a piece of paper, balled it up and tossed it at him, the tiny document landing on his table. He furrowed his brow, turning to look at her quizzically. She felt like rolling her eyes but instead pointed to the note, wordlessly telling him to open it. He unrolled it, wrote something on the back then tossed it back.

**Not available.**

Paige dropped her head into her hand at the stupidity of the assumption. Men were so full of themselves it wasn't funny. She scribbled quickly on the paper, tossing it back just as Sean and Pru made their way through the crowd.

**Not asking for a date, jackass.**

She tipped up her phone to show she meant for him to text her and he finally got the idea.

**What do you want?-C**

Paige tapped in her message.

**Can you figure out where an email was sent from?-P**

**Maybe. What's it worth to you?-C**

**Fifty bucks?-P**

**Hundred bucks, take me at least a couple of hours. -C**

**Seventy five and I'll throw some more work your way. -P**

Pru had been bitching about her cell bill going sky high since she'd begun seeing Sean.

**3 customers. -C**

**I say 1 then we settle on 2. Deal? -P**

**Done. Meet me after lunch. -C**

Paige nodded, closing her phone and settled in to finish her meal. When lunch was over, she told Sean she would be a few minutes late to training, leaving he and Pru to say their goodbyes. She met Caleb around the corner, walking with him down the hall.

"Money up front," he led with.

"Half now, half when you cough up a name."

"You might not get a name," he said, pushing open the door to the library. It was more or less deserted now that the lunch hour was over. They ducked into the back of the stacks, Caleb setting his pack down in one of the cubicles. "I might be able to give you an address but if it's not from a personal computer, that might be all you get."

"I'll take it. What do you need?"

"Where did the email come to?"

"My phone." She opened the email, it had nothing but the attachment fixed to it.

"...You want to find the guy that sent you dancing pigs, seriously?"

"I'm not paying you to snoop on me," Paige cut in, voice curt. "I'm paying you to find out where this came from. I was under the impression privacy was part of the deal."

"Okay, Killer, settle down."

"Can you do it or not?"

"I got you covered." He sat there, waiting expectantly. Paige pulled out her wallet, handing him two twenty dollar bills. "I'll need to keep the phone."

"Not a chance."

"I need to do a data dump."

"Then you can do it here, I'm not leaving my phone," Paige dug in. The last thing she needed was this guy getting wind of 'A'. Her goose would be completely cooked.

"I'm not going to take off on you. You know how to find me."

"That's not what I'm worried about."

He sighed but pulled out a chord from his backpack. "I don't like doing this kind of stuff in the open."

"That makes two of us, hurry up."

"Geeze, ease up. You aren't related to Spencer are you? You guys are like super intense clones."

"If you value your life, those words will never pass your lips again," Paige warned. Caleb quickly turned back to his work, connecting her phone to his laptop. A few minutes of quick typing and he disconnected the chord, handing the phone back to her.

"I'll need a few days."

"That's fine, you know where to reach me." Paige stood and walked away without goodbye, hoping she hadn't signed her own death warrant.

The rest of her day passed normally, practice went well enough, the cool water helping to take down the ache in her hand. Two weeks later and it still smarted when she wrote too long or gripped anything too hard.

Emily came up beside her as Paige was at her locker, in midst of massaging her knuckles to loosen the muscles that seemed perpetually tight. It probably didn't help that she hadn't eased up much on her training with Sean.

"Hey, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine, just a little sore still. I think I sprained it."

"Do you regret it? Hitting him, I mean?"

"I regret it was on school property," Paige said. "And I regret I didn't take the nut shot when I had the chance. Other than that, no."

Emily laughed, the sound of genuine levity a balm to Paige's ears. "You're sure it's not broken?"

Squeezing her fingers, Paige made a tight fist. "Nah, it's fine. Oh, I have your scarf." She reached into her bag, pulling out the plaid red and black scarf that Emily had used to wrap her hand. She had kept it wrapped around her teddy bear, tucked tight against her as she slept until Emily's smell was all but a memory.

"Keep it," Emily said, making no move to take the scarf. "Use it on your bike rides since I know you won't give in to common sense and just drive."

"We aren't all lucky enough to win brand new, beautiful Toyotas, Fields." Paige grabbed Emily's gear bag from the bench, handing it to her teammate. Emily winced as she took the bag, dark eyes betraying the pain. "What was that?"

"What was what?"

Paige mimicked the awkward face scrunch Emily had done. "That, what was that?"

"I've been stepping up my training. My shoulder is just bugging me about it."

Paige tossed her bag to the floor and pointed to the bench."Sit down for a second."

Emily raised an eyebrow at the order.

"Trust me, shoulders I know."

Emily sat, allowing Paige to take her hand and lift it over her head to move her shoulder through its rotations. She waited for where she saw Emily flinch, stretching out the tender area. "Push on my hand."

"Ah, damn, that hurts."

"I think you just over stressed it. So long as you keep it loose, it should last you through the week but I'd definitely take it easy this weekend."

"I'm just...I have to do well, Paige. That letter, I can't..."

"Hey." Paige let go of Emily's hand, straddling the bench to face her friend. "It's going to be okay. You're going to do great and no one will know anything." Except 'A', Paige thought bitterly. With their knowledge, it wouldn't take more than an email to bring both her and Emily down. Now that it wasn't only her future at stake, Paige had no choice but to give in to 'A's demands. She doubted her stunt at the fashion show was enough to earn her life back.

Paige wanted to talk to Emily, about everything. But the girl was wound so tight -with the scholarship, Ian's death and the trainwreck of a fashion show- the last thing she needed was more drama added to her life. The news would keep, Emily needed her to be supportive now.

"We're the best in the state, Em. We just need to keep our eyes on the prize." Paige pulled out the cream her physiotherapist had recommended after she hurt her shoulder. "This'll help. There's a topical anesthetic that should help keep the pain down. It's almost empty so you'll have to get a new tube soon."

"Don't you need it?"

"Are you kidding me? My parents practically have stock in the company, I have tons at home. Here," Paige popped the top off and squeezed the cream into her hand. "Hold still."

"Paige, you really don't..."

"Relax, Em. I'm not making a pass at you."

Emily frowned at the suggestion. "I didn't mean it that way. I just didn't want you to be uncomfortable or get you into trouble."

Paige looked around at the deserted locker room. "Last I checked, we were the only ones here and we've been pretty comfortable so far so stop fidgeting." Paige dug her thumb in, unsurprised by the pained gasp it elicited from her friend. "That's what I figured." She kneaded efficiently at the muscle until the knot gave way, Emily's shoulder visibly relaxing.

"Wow, that feels better." Emily rotated her shoulder. "Thanks."

"No problem." Paige handed Emily the half empty tube of cream and tugged her coat on. "Keep it loose, okay? And take it easy on the training, you're going to burn yourself out."

"You keep this kind of pace."

"We've already established I'm insane," Paige joked, walking beside Emily as they headed for the parking lot.

"If you can handle it, so can I."

"I'm not saying you can't handle it," Paige placated, hoping she hadn't injured the other girl's pride. "I just don't know why you would you want to. You practice hard, you're doing well, Danby is looking at you. Why stress yourself out? Your parents aren't riding you."

"Maybe not but I have a standard I have live up to now, especially if I want to stay in Rosewood. I mean, my mom's gone but she's not gone, you know? She's constantly calling to check in. Lying to her and my dad is hard on me. I'm not used to keeping secrets this big."

"You just have to last until the real offer comes in, that'll be soon. Just hold on for a little bit more."

Emily nodded though she didn't look any happier for the advice. Em was right, she did suck at pep talks. Maybe some good news would boost her spirits?

"Speaking of secrets, I..." Paige stopped as she caught sight of familiar blonde hair bouncing agreeably toward them. Damn it.

"Hey, Em." Samara greeted cheerfully before nodding at Paige with a neutral smile. "Paige."

Paige returned the nod with her own curt one, waving goodbye to Emily. She walked past her friend to get to her bike, doing her level best not to plow her shoulder into the blonde as she went by.

"Paige, wait up." Emily jogged up to her. "You wanted to say something, about secrets."

The desire to tell Emily what she had done was nearly overwhelming. But with Samara standing right there and 'A' waiting in the wings to pounce, it was too much too soon. Coach was right, she needed time to level off, get used to the new lay of the land before adding more to her plate. "Nothing, just wanted to make sure that even with the jitters that you weren't going to tell about the letter, is all."

"Paige," Emily took her hand, dark gaze pinning her in place. "I appreciate what you did for me and I know what it could cost. I swear, you and I are the only ones who know. I didn't even tell the girls."

"Thanks, Em."

"I'll see you tomorrow at practice."

"Sounds good." Paige headed for her bike, the trill of her cellphone making her anxious. She really didn't feel up to another round playing lapdog to a psychopath.

She was pleasantly surprised to see the text was only from Keith, asking to cancel their lessons for the rest of the week due to family issues. She confirmed she had received the message and pedaled home, unsurprised to find only her mother at the dinner table, her father's place empty.

"How long is he going to avoid me?" Paige sat, helping herself to a heaping portion of vegetables and a lean chicken breast.

"He'll come around," her mother assured. "How was school?"

"Fine, I guess. We only have a little over a month left to make up some points to get into a decent position for state finals. We're looking really good though, even our J.V. line up is pretty sharp."

"That's good to hear, Honey. The scouts are going to eat you up. You'll have your pick of schools."

"I think I want Danby. I mean, I know there are some West coast schools with strong programs but I... I don't think I want to be so far away from home anymore," Paige said, watching her mother's eyes widen in surprise. It had long been accepted that Paige intended to go to school out West, her desire to strike out on her own -far from the reach of her Rosewood- a given.

But now, with everything that had changed, Paige didn't know that being away from the support of her family, her mother, would be a positive. She tried to push away the thought that Emily was likely concentrating on East coast schools herself. It was over a year away and -as she had certainly experienced in the last few months- a small amount of time could mean big changes.

"Well, if you want to stay here, you can't put all your eggs in the Danby basket. You could try Harvard, Yale, NYU. Yale."

"You already said Yale, Mom."

"Oh, did I?" The sparkle in her mom's eye told Paige she was well aware of the double up. She knew her mother had been disappointed that Paige had never truly considered her alma mater. The assumption had always been that if any school was going to keep Paige on this side of the country, it would be Danby. Her other interests had lain UCLA, USC, Berkeley, even Stanford. Anywhere far enough to get out from under her father's watchful eye. "Why the change of heart?"

"I just think it'd be better to be close. I don't know, maybe Dad won't want me nearby after all this." Paige shrugged, poking listlessly at her green beans.

"Don't say that, he'll be fine. Eat your supper, I made cupcakes for desert."

"Coconut?"

"You got it."

Paige helped herself to two of the treats, sneaking a third into her lunch for the next day. Paige helped her mother clear the table then took her books downstairs to study. Final exams were still weeks away but with the intense pace of her training, it was too easy to fall behind. The night ended with Paige falling asleep, cuddled up next to her teddy bear and textbooks.

Her cancelled lesson with Keith meant her morning started an hour later than she had become accustomed to. She woke feeling particularly refreshed, sliding out of bed without even hitting the snooze button. It was amazing what an extra hour of sleep could do.

Even with the later hour, Paige was still on her own for breakfast, powering down her oatmeal raw, mixed in to the smoothie her mother had left for her. She was able to drink it as she rode her bike, passing by the the Brew as she went. She stopped long enough to grab a coffee, grabbing an extra- just in case. If Emily wasn't there, she could always offer it to Coach. Her mentor deserved far better than to drink whatever burned oil the staff room passed through a filter and had the nerve to call coffee.

It was only quarter after six when she walked in, sipping lazily at her coffee. It was definitely pushing it to get in this early so she was surprised to find Emily's perfume lingering in the air.

What the hell?

Paige shook off her gear, tossing it into her locker before padding barefoot out to the pool. Coach's light was on, the woman working on a stack of papers with the radio playing quietly in the background. Paige knocked on the door, holding up the extra coffee as she entered. Emily wouldn't want to drink it if she was already in the pool.

"McCullers, you're already Captain. You don't have to bribe me with coffee."

Paige smiled, leaving the still steaming paper cup on the desk. "Em's already in the water? Isn't that early?"

"It is. She's been sitting on the doorstep every day for the last couple of weeks. I guess that Danby scout has her a little anxious."

"Yeah, I guess. I'm going to jump in, enjoy the coffee, Coach."

"Thanks." Coach Fulton turned back to her papers and Paige headed for the pool. Emily was already in the water, powering through her warm up laps at a rate that was bound to tire her out. If her teammate wasn't careful, she was going to overtrain and injure herself.

"Morning." Paige called out as she walked by the edge. Emily paused, treading water as she tugged her goggles off to look at Paige.

"Morning."

"How you feeling?"

"Shoulder is still stiff." Emily swam over and pulled herself out of the pool with a grunt, walking past Paige to her bag on the bleachers. She pulled out the remnants of the cream tube, twisting off the cap.

"Well, yeah, you're supposed to take it easy, not tack on extra training. You look exhausted."

"I can't get any sleep at Hannah's. She snores, she sings while she studies. I'm just stressed out."

"Sit down, let me see your shoulder," Paige offered, tone resigned. It wasn't her place to talk sense into Emily, that was Hastings and the others jobs. The best she could do was minimize the damage.

"You don't have to." Emily gave a light protest.

"Yes or no?" Paige held up the cream, willing to let it go if the protest was genuine but not if it was just a matter of Emily's pride.

"Yes."

"Then shush." Paige set to loosening the muscles, eventually using an elbow to get a particularly stubborn knot to give. "You're a ball of tension. What's up? Is it all that crap about Ian or the fashion show?"

"No. I mean, it's not just Ian, it's everything. I have to get this Danby scholarship, Paige."

"You will, but you won't get it by working yourself into an injury which is what you're heading for. Are you eating properly? You're not..."

"Not what?"

Paige paused, unsure quite how to bring up what she had observed.

"Not what, Paige?"

"You don't fill out your suit... quite the way you did," Paige said, clearing her throat awkwardly. She was thankful Emily was turned away so she could't see the blush that raced up her neck at the admission. Thankfully, the other girl seemed to take it at face value.

"I haven't really been able to get anything down. My stomach's been all acidy."

"Drink a lot of juice?"

"Sometimes, I guess."

"The sugar and the acid might be making your stomach upset. I used to have that problem when I had OJ in the morning."

"I guess I'll lay off, see if that settles it down."

"You're going to need more of this," Paige held up the empty tube. "Geeze, what have you been doing? Eating it? I gave this to you last night."

"My ribs hurt, I put it on there too."

"What's wrong with your ribs?"

"Nothing, just sore." Emily took the empty tube from Paige, tossing it back into her bag. "Thanks for the help. Would you mind timing me for a couple of laps?"

"Time you? Em, your shoulder is hurt, you probably pulled your oblique. You need rest, pushing yourself isn't going to help right now."

Emily rolled her eyes, brushing past Paige. "I'm not a baby, Paige. I know what my body can handle." With that, Emily walked to the water, diving in crisply without another word. Paige frowned, completely unaccustomed to such a cool attitude coming from her friend. Even when they had been at their worst, Emily had been solicitous. Something was weighing heavy on her mind.

Paige left the girl to herself, not wanting to set Emily off with whatever was bothering her. She headed instead for the ten metre board. It had been far too long since she had opportunity to get some decent time diving. Her sessions with Keith had eaten up her early mornings and while she was able to get in a few dives before afternoon practice, the rush left Paige little time to correct herself.

The forty five minutes before the rest of the team arrived were spent in silent, stilted companionship. Paige would occasionally look over to make sure Emily was all right, tempted to swim to her teammate when a sloppy half lap left the girl treading water in the middle of the pool.

Emily's frustrated expression told Paige the care wasn't likely to be appreciated so she tried to mind her own business. Despite herself, the only time Paige didn't have an eye on her teammate was when she was mid air.

Practice with the Sharks was a simple affair, minor corrections taking up the majority of the time. When it was all over, Paige made her way to the locker room. She took a quick shower, expecting Emily to be up and gone before she was finished. Instead, the darker haired girl was sitting on the bench, staring at her locker while she massaged her shoulder.

"Em, you good?"

"I was wondering, if maybe... you'd help me stretch again?"

Paige was tempted for a moment to say 'no', the injured part of her ego pushing her to strike out for the slight earlier. The notion lasted only a moment but it was long enough, Emily turning away from Paige to collect her shirt.

"Forget it. Never mind."

"No, Em. Hang on." Paige dropped her gear bag on the ground, standing behind Emily. "Lift your arm up." Emily complied though she grimaced as Paige grabbed on to her hand. She did her best to be gentle, keeping one hand on Emily's shoulder to hold her in place as she moved the joint through a rotation. Paige didn't like the way Emily winced at nearly every motion, it spoke of potentially deeper issues. "I don't think you should do this meet."

"Paige..." Her name was almost a sigh.

"Emily, you can barely get your hand over your head. You're going to do some serious damage."

"Not before Friday. We have two weeks off for finals, we'll be down to one a days and no meets, I'll heal then."

Paige wanted to protest but it was obvious Emily would only dig in her heels and likely shut her out completely. Gentle advice and shoulder stretches were the best thing she could do. Accepting her place, Paige nodded. "All right, I trust you to know your limits." Paige swung her leg around, straddling the bench to look at Emily. She took her friend's hands in her own, staring into dark eyes, hoping to convey her concern. "Please don't hurt yourself, Emily."

Emily's soft smile was the first genuine one Paige had seen on the girl in weeks, tanned hands squeezing. "I won't."


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer:** I own only my vague sense of reality.

**Author's Notes:** This chapter contains spoilers up to Season 2, Episode 8, "Save The Date".

Please, don't forget to tip your bards. If you take the time to read, do us authors a solid and take the extra second to review.

Thank you, everyone, for the faves/follows and reviews. Much appreciated! Comments and constructive criticism are welcome.

Enjoy!

**888**

The last half of the week passed in much the same fashion. Emily would be there when Paige showed up at the pool, bright and early, ready to get into the water. Paige would make sure her teammate's shoulder was loose before they started out, helping her through simple stretches. She kept their conversations limited to swimming and physio. Her gentle forays into more emotional topics -like what had Emily so off the charts tense- had been effectively and unequivocally shut down.

After practice, Paige would massage Emily's shoulder so she didn't stiffen up during the day, the routine much the same during the afternoons.

The atmosphere at home was awkward at best, Paige barely catching glimpse of her father in the last three weeks. Paige was out the door before he came downstairs in the morning and he returned home well after she was in bed. She supposed she should count her blessings. She could play the avoidance game as well as he could and she had no problem ignoring her father if it meant she could go on with her life as she chose. With everything else going on, Paige was perfectly content not to rock the boat.

So far as Paige knew, there had been no further talk of St. Pius or other, more aggressive, means of reforming her. Her conversations with her mom let her know that her father was at least peripherally aware of what was going on in her life. Considering there wasn't a thousand dollar bill coming in for Keith's lessons this week, he had to know she was training early in the morning at Rosewood High. With Emily.

Figuring it was easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission, she intended to continue with it until someone said otherwise. By the time Friday rolled around, Paige realized how truly burnt out Emily was. She rounded the corner of the school to find Emily on the steps, head bobbing forward, hands loosely wrapped around a cup of coffee.

"Em?"

The girl started awake, staring at Paige in confusion before her eyes began to clear. "Hey."

"Hey. C'mon, you're going to catch your death out here." Paige reached down, helping Emily to unsteady feet. "Did you drive?"

"Yeah, why?"

"C'mon." Paige led her down the steps, taking the barely touched coffee from Emily's hand. "You want this?"

"No, it's making my stomach hurt."

Paige took a shot of the hot coffee, gulping down more than was likely reasonable before tossing it absently into the garbage as she passed. They reached Emily's car and Paige stopped, laying her bag on the hood.

"Gimme your keys." She knew Emily was completely exhausted when she handed the keys over without complaint or question. Paige unlocked the doors, opening the rear passenger door and guided Emily inside. Shimmying out of her jacket, she balled it up and placed it on the seat. "Lay down."

"Paige, we have to practice."

"No, you have to get some rest before you fall asleep in the pool and drown, Fields. I'll wake you up when it's time to go in."

Emily wanted to protest, Paige could see it in her eyes, but she couldn't seem to get her body to comply. Giving in, she lay down, pillowing her head on the thick jacket. Paige slid into the driver's seat, turning on the car to crank up the heat. She pulled out her chemistry text book to study, checking the rear view for Emily who was still stubbornly fighting sleep.

"I promise, I'll wake you up."

"It's not that, I have a wicked stomach ache. I must have eaten something bad last night."

Paige had a feeling it was more stress induced than anything but didn't argue. Sighing, she tossed her chemistry book onto the floor of the backseat and got out of the car.

It had to be love.

There was no other reason to be in the position she was in and be doing what she was doing. Paige opened the rear door, motioning for her friend to move. "Lift." Emily pushed herself up, obviously confused. Paige slid in to the vacated seat, closing the door and patting her lap. "C'mon."

"Paige..."

"Relax, Fields, I'm not trying to get fresh. My mom used to do this when I got stomach aches. Just lie down." Her physical discomfort evidently outweighing her reservations, Emily did as asked, putting her head in Paige's lap. Grabbing her chemistry notebook, Paige held it in one hand to read as she pressed on Emily's stomach, massaging in gentle circles. Her mother had done it for her for years, nursing Paige through the worst of her cramps and one particularly bad case of food poisoning from a rebellious hotdog.

Emily was notably tense as she lay there, body coiled tight, even considering their limited space. There was no cure for that except to act as though the whole ludicrous scene were something akin to normal. So -rather than sit and revel in the feeling of having Emily lying on her again- Paige focused her attention on making a teammate feel better.

Emily winced at the contact initially, her stomach more sensitive than Paige realized. It took a few minutes but she did eventually relax, gentle snores filling the car. Paige did her best not to fidget, shoulder threatening to go numb as she held her notes aloft. When she was certain Emily was asleep, Paige switched positions, resting her arm on her friend's side to hold her notes, her other hand running slowly through rich, dark hair.

As odd as it was, the moment was strangely perfect. This was what Paige had envisioned for herself, being able to sit openly with the girl she loved, taking care of her when she wouldn't or couldn't take care of herself. This was what she had tried to fight for and failed. She had let 'A' and her father scare her into obedience. No more. Samara was a temporary obstacle, not a wife. She didn't love Emily the way Paige did. The way Paige could. She had to fight. She had to get this back.

Today was the day. She would sit Emily down after the meet and tell her how the situation had changed. She would place her bets, lay her cards on the table and see what came up.

Paige's watch quietly beeped out a ten minute warning. The others would begin to arrive soon, she needed to get Emily up and moving. While she had no regard for Samara's feelings, she didn't want rumours floating around about her and Emily being alone together in some kind of inappropriate way. It would hurt Em. She gently nudged her companion, massaging at Emily's scalp to bring her around.

The girl stretched -as much as the confines of the car would allow- turning to face Paige. For a moment, Emily seemed to look at her, truly, for the first time in awhile. Emily smiled sleepily, hand nearly coming to rest on Paige's cheek before she seemed to remember herself. Changing course, Emily instead braced herself on the seat and pushed her body up.

"I, uh, didn't drool on you, did I?"

"Nah. Not sure my eardrums will recover from the chainsaw level of snoring though," Paige said, trying to diffuse the situation before the awkward had a chance to truly settle in.

"I don't snore."

"Fields, I've heard jackhammers that wouldn't compare." Paige pushed the door open, wincing at the blast of cold air that skipped across her skin as she stepped out. She turned off the car and pulled her gear bag from the seat, waiting for Emily to collect herself. When Emily was ready, Paige handed her the car keys, the pair walking around the school to the back entrance for the natatorium.

"Paige..." Emily stopped at the base of the stairs, rocking back nervously on her heels.

"What's up?"

Emily shifted, obviously unsure how she wanted to say whatever she was trying to say. "I... just..." Looking around the area before leaning forward, Emily planted a quick kiss on Paige's cheek. "Thanks." With that, her teammate scurried up the stairs, leaving Paige to stare after her in stunned silence.

**888 **

After an easy practice filled with strategizing for the upcoming meet, Paige shrugged into her school clothes.

"Hey, did you want me to work on your shoulder?" Paige asked as she opened her gym locker, doing her best to act as casual as possible. As if the light kiss hadn't completely set her world atilt. Would kissing Emily ever be normal? So far, every time Emily's lips had touched her, Paige's entire universe seemed to shift, the smallest touch leaving her skin burning.

"I think I'm actually okay. It felt good in the water today."

"Probably because we didn't have practice last night and we went easy today," Paige theorized. "It's called 'rest', Fields. I told you so." She stuck her tongue out to show her words were meant in jest rather than to be combative.

"I know, I know. After tonight, I'll be able to relax. Did you know the Danby scout is coming again today?"

"Yes, Em. I was there when Coach Fulton told us, remember?"

"Right. You were there. Do you think that's good? It's good, right?"

"Em." Paige put a hand on her friend's shoulder, hoping to calm the nerves she could see flashing through dark eyes. "Relax. Yes, it's good. We're stronger than this team, you're going to shine. Now would you stop stressing out? You're going to give yourself an ulcer." Paige closed her locker. "I'm meeting Pru in the cafeteria to grab some coffee, see you in chem?"

"Yeah." Emily stood, pressing on her stomach as she shouldered her bag.

"Still not feeling good?"

"It's better but not a hundred percent."

"Take it easy. It's probably just nerves."

"Yeah, you're right. I'll see you in chem." They went their separate ways, Paige finding Pru attached to Sean's hip as they waited in the cafeteria line for hot food. Paige waved at them, glad to see her two friends happy together. She only hoped the eventual breakup would be an amicable one, she had no interest in sitting between warring parties. Paige poured herself a coffee, grudgingly foregoing the cream and sugar. She did allow herself a fruit cup and grabbed a small box of milk, two rolls and two slabs of cheese.

"Dairy and white flour on a meet day? It's finally happened, you've cloned yourself haven't you? The real Paige is off somewhere warm, eating from full fat buffets."

"So funny, you're so funny, Pru." Paige paid for the food, tossing the milk into the microwave and using a plastic knife to cut the buns and slide the slabs of cheese between while she waited. "They're not for me, they're for Emily. She's got a stomach ache."

"And that's your problem because?" Pru asked, obviously still in protective friend mode over the train wreck of a break up.

"Because if she tosses her cookies in the pool, we're going to have an entire meet to reschedule," Paige reasoned, sipping at her coffee as she longingly eyed Pru's breakfast sandwich. "God, that looks good."

"You want a bite?"

"No, but if I lean in too close later, it's just because I want to smell the bacon on your breath." She caught a brief glimpse of Emily walking by, headed for class. "I'll leave you two to your goodbyes, see you at lunch Sean?"

"Yep, I've got a great fight to show you."

"Cool." Paige walked to class, knowing Pru would draw out her time with Sean before the bell. Emily was already seated, the rest of the foursome oddly absent. Paige thanked her good luck. Hastings was liable to make her taste test the small meal to make sure it wasn't poisoned. "Hey."

"Hey."

"Warm milk and some bread. It should help settle your stomach down. Little bit of cheese in there for protein. What do you think?" Paige crouched beside her friend, trying to get an idea of how she was feeling.

"I don't know Paige, I'm not really hungry."

"Did you eat this morning?"

"No, I didn't think anything would stay down."

"Then you need to put something in there before your blood sugar drops and you end up with a migraine or worse. C'mon."

Emily grudgingly picked at the bread and Paige sat at the desk beside her, watching to make sure some of the meal got down. "You didn't have to do this."

"Em, I'm you're Captain, and your friend. It's my job to make sure you're okay. Besides, I need you out there in that pool, we've got scholarships to win."

By the time Emily had made her way through the buns and most of the milk, the other students had begun to filter in. Paige abandoned her post to take her normal seat, Pru rolling her eyes as she slid into her chair. Ignoring it, Paige turned her attention to the class. She kept an eye on Emily through chemistry and algebra, checking for any signs that her friend wasn't feeling better. When the lunch bell rang, she made sure Hastings stuck close to Emily before heading off to meet Pru and Sean.

They ate at their usual table, Paige doing her best to be discreet when she looked over to check if Emily was eating. The other girl hadn't even made an effort to pick up the spoon to work on whatever soup Hastings put in front of her. Paige pulled out her cellphone, typing out a short message as she watched the boxing match Sean had downloaded to his laptop.

**Eat.-P**

She sent the message on its way, instinctively wincing as she watched the slightly smaller of the two boxers take a hit that put him on his ass.

"Damn. That hurt."

"Knocked him out, completely done. Check it out, he's done it in almost all of his fights." As Sean scrolled through his video list, Paige leaned over, watching Emily open her text message. Her teammate's eyes found hers, Paige mimicking bringing a spoon to her mouth. Emily pursed her lips, picking up her spoon to grudgingly start on the soup.

Satisfied that at least something was getting into her friend's stomach, Paige waved goodbye to Pru, Sean following her as they headed for the gym. It was an easy session -Paige didn't want to tire herself out before the meet- that led into afternoon classes and the final bell.

She met up with Pru at her locker, tugging out the English novel she had to finish reading for Mr. Fitz's class before finals.

"Any plans for the weekend?"

"Nope, just finish this," Paige held up the novel, "and get some studying in."

"Boring."

Paige rolled her eyes and began walking for the cafeteria to grab a protein shake. "And just what do you have in mind?"

"Sean and I are going to the movies tonight."

"That'll be good. What are you..." A pained cry echoed through the hallway, the pitch of it making Paige instinctively wince. "Jesus, what the hell was that?"

They rounded the corner, Paige finding Emily collapsed on floor, their local officer at her side, already on his radio.

Paige shoved her books at Pru, sprinting to her downed teammate. She practically slid into the back of Officer Reynolds and Mr. Tamborelli, landing roughly on her knees next to Emily's head. She ignored the bark of pain that echoed through her legs as she hit, shoving Emily's books to make room for herself beside her teammate.

"It's okay, Em. It's going to be okay," Paige comforted, looking for a way to make herself useful. Officer Reynolds gave the ambulance dispatch directions to get into the school. Paige found one of her teammates standing next to Pru, panic written across her face.

"Pru, Piper, go show the paramedics how to get in." The freshman, a young girl who looked vaguely like Mrs. Montgomery, stared blankly at Paige. "Now, damn it!"

The girl scurried off with Pru leaving Paige with Emily, Tamborelli and Reynolds, the cop smiling gratefully at her. Ignoring him, Paige unzipped her hoodie, tucking it under Emily's head to cushion her on the cold tile.

"What happened?" Paige asked, as she offered a hand to Emily who took it, tanned fingers squeezing tightly.

"She just collapsed." Both Reynolds and Tamborelli seemed equally at a loss as to what might have caused Emily's distress. Paige flattened herself on the floor, one had grasping Emily's the other stroking through dark locks to help calm her friend. Dark eyes were squeezed shut in pain, tears leaking at the corners as Emily twitched in pain.

"Paige?" The voice was barely a whisper.

"Yeah, it's me. Can you tell me what's wrong?" Paige had no idea how to fix anything but it might be useful to know the general gist for the paramedics in case Emily passed out.

"My stomach. Hurts." Emily curled in on herself, not releasing Paige's hands as she did so. Going with it, Paige tucked herself beside her friend, supporting Emily's back against her legs as she laid down. "My Dad..."

"Your Dad? Is he here? In Rosewood?" A silent nod and Paige flinched as the grip on her hand tightened. "You need to find Mr. Fields." She directed her words to both Tamborelli and Officer Reynolds, the younger man seeming torn between staying with Emily and going to fetch her father.

"The ambulance is on its way. You need to go to the office and have them contact Mr. Fields. He might still be in the school," Paige ordered, staring at him.

"You should..."

"I'm not leaving her." She spoke with finality. It would take more than some small town cop to pry her from Emily's side. Whether Reynolds was generally weak willed or simply used to taking orders from women, Paige didn't know and didn't care. He stood, nodding once before jogging down the hall toward the office.

A small crowd had gathered near them in all the commotion, Tamborelli keeping the students at a reasonable distance when Paige's glare failed to do the job.

"It's going to be okay, Em." They lay there, together, on the cold tile for what felt like hours. Paige whispered reassurances as Emily clung to her tightly, the occasional twitch speaking of her friend's pain. For the first time in she couldn't remember how long, Paige prayed, asking whatever higher power was out there to help alleviate Emily's suffering. The muted cry of the ambulance siren was a blessed sound, the irritating wail growing louder with each moment.

"Ambulance is almost here, Em. Won't be long."

"Don't leave."

"I won't," Paige promised, never more grateful than when she heard Pru's voice calling out from somewhere down the hall, leading the paramedics in. The pair of medics arrived and dropped beside them, gear bags full of supplies landing next to Paige.

"I'll need you to give us some space," the first medic advised. Paige nodded, reluctantly shifting her body away from Emily who tightened her hold, refusing to let go of her hand.

"It's okay, I'm right here." She held onto Emily's hand, looking to the paramedics for the 'okay'.

"That's fine."

By the time they had worked through their routine of questions, Reynolds had returned with Mr. Fields, Emily's father leading the way at a sprint. It was short work to get her onto a stretcher, Paige grudgingly pulling her hand free of Emily's.

"It's going to be okay, Emmy. We're going to the hospital, Baby." Mr. Fields took Paige's place, large, muscular hand dwarfing Emily's as he wrapped it around his daughter's. He turned to nod at Paige before walking out with the stretcher, the paramedics leading the way.

"You okay?"

Paige looked down the hall, Emily and entourage already having disappeared around the corner.

"Paige, hey..." Pru grabbed her arm, shaking it to pull Paige from her stare. "You okay?"

"Yeah, fine. I... I gotta talk to Coach."

"You sure you're okay? You want me to walk you over there?"

"No." Paige shook her head. "No, I'm fine." Paige took her forgotten books from Pru and headed for Coach Fulton's office. Her mentor was at her desk, a troubled look on her face as she read through a sheaf of papers.

Paige knocked on the doorjam to announce her presence. "Coach?"

Fulton looked up from her papers, something akin to distress in her eyes.

"Coach, you okay?"

"I...I'm fine, Paige. What's up?"

"Emily, she's...she's sick. She collapsed in the hallways. The paramedics just took her to the hospital."

"Is she alright?" Coach Fulton stood, the piece of paper left forgotten as she rounded the desk.

"I don't know, she was in a lot of pain." Paige paced the small office, she had no real idea of her friend's condition. She had managed to keep her cool for Emily but now that the adrenaline had begun to wane, fear and panic were beginning to set in.

"Do you know if her parents have been notified?"

"Her Dad is in town. He went with her in the ambulance."

"Alright, I'll call to check up on her in a little while. Are you okay?"

"I... I don't know," Paige admitted as she sat, holding up her hands, surprised to find them shaking. She tucked them under her arms to still them. "It was scary, I couldn't do anything to help her. She was in so much pain, all I could do was hold her hand." Paige heaved out a sigh, staring blankly at the grains of wood on Fulton's desk. Coach sat in the chair beside her, turning to face Paige.

"Sometimes, just knowing someone is with you is the biggest comfort you can ask for."

Paige looked up into understanding eyes, nodding weakly.

"You've grown a lot over this last year, Paige. The young woman I'm seeing now..." Coach paused, dark eyes locking on Paige. "I'm proud to know her."

"Thanks, that means... it means everything to me." Paige respected and desired the respect of few people as much as she did Coach Fulton.

"It's a lot to ask but I need you to be strong now. You've got to keep the girls on task and focused tonight. You're the Captain, they're going to look to you for guidance. Now and in the future."

Paige frowned a little at the tone. "Coach, is everything okay? You looked, I don't know, sad, when I came in."

"Everything will be fine as soon as I get the line up restructured." Coach Fulton patted her knee and pushed herself out of her chair. "Do me a favour?"

"Of course."

"See if you can get the girls assembled here early. We'll talk about Em and do a few dry runs with the new lineup."

"You got it."

Paige left Coach Fulton to her work, setting out to collect her milling teammates who would be scattered across the school. A few text messages and runners sent after those who were MIA saw the team assembled within ten minutes. They ran through the new line-up, a somewhat lopsided arrangement that proved they needed to be better about training others to start relays.

When it came time for the usual pre-meet pep talk, Paige gathered the girls together on deck. As she looked past them -out over the pool- the water suddenly seemed deeper and further than ever before. She hadn't been in the water without Emily in months, it felt inherently wrong not to have the other girl at her side. Even during their worst, they had complimented each other in the water. Their competition, whether friendly or hostile, had pushed each other to be the best. Paige didn't have that now. No backup. No Robin to her Batman.

She was on her own.

Even Coach Fulton looked unfocused, attention uncommonly split between whatever she was thinking about and the meet at hand. The girls were looking to Paige to guide them, they couldn't afford to fail.

"Okay, Emily's out but that doesn't mean we give in or give up. We're a strong team, we win meets. I need you all to concentrate on your form."

"Is Emily going to be okay?"

"She... she's going to be fine. She'll be back in the water soon, but it's up to us to win this for her today. We're going to show this team that even one swimmer light, we can still kick their butts all over this pool. Deal?"

The team nodded and Paige put her hand in the centre of the circle "Sharks on three."

**888 **

Paige walked from the locker room, nodding at the Danby scout who came up to meet her.

"Nicely done out there today, it was a hard fight."

"Yeah, we hadn't really groomed Chloe for starter but she didn't do too bad." They had won, barely, Paige picking up a nearly incomprehensible amount of slack left by Chloe's rough start. Her time had been solid, missing her PB by a hair but still flooring the other team and securing the win. She was pleased with herself and her team, the girls had held it together despite missing one of their key players.

"How is Emily? Coach Fulton mentioned she had to be taken to the hospital."

"I'm going to check up on her tonight."

"I wonder if I should contact her."

Paige's eyes widened at the offer, quickly stuttering out an excuse. "I think she's going to be pretty overwhelmed with all the people checking on her. I can send you an email if you like, let you know what's up," Paige offered. If Ken managed to get hold of Mr. Fields, it could blow Emily's entire story out of the water.

"Thanks, I'd appreciate it, we like to keep an eye on our potentials. You did very well out there today, Paige. I'm glad you're considering Danby."

"Thanks." Paige smiled at the praise, glad to know that someone appreciated how hard she worked. That the four am wakeups, six hours in the pool and restricting herself from most of the pleasures her peers enjoyed, would net her something in the end. It wouldn't seem like it was all for naught. Paige shook the man's hand and left him to speak with someone on the opposing team, glad to be headed home. She passed Coach Fulton on the way out, the woman standing in front of the main trophy case, staring at old awards.

"Coach?"

"McCullers. Good job out there today."

"Thanks. The Danby guy seemed to like it."

Coach Fulton nodded, still staring at the swim trophy that proclaimed Rosewood High the state champs. The trophy was nearly ten years old, the Sharks hadn't done better than third since.

"Coach, are you okay?"

The woman turned, offering Paige a small smile that didn't reach her eyes. "I'm fine. Just thinking about the future."

"Championships?" Paige motioned to the trophy. "We'll get it this year, we'll win it for you. I promise."

"You hold on to that, Paige. No matter what, you keep your goals in your sights and you go for them." Fulton advised, squeezing Paige's arm.

"Coach, what's wrong?" Something was off with her mentor. She had no idea what it was, but there was something eating at her, Paige could see it in her eyes.

"Nothing for you to worry about. You're going to talk to Emily?"

"Yeah, I thought I'd go over to the hospital and see if she's up for company," Paige said, slightly thrown by the sudden change in topic.

"Give her my best, all right?"

"Sure thing."

Coach Fulton nodded at her, one last squeeze to Paige's arm before she turned away, headed for her office.

"Coach?" The woman turned, gaze questioning. "See you Monday?" A tight smile, a curt nod and Paige was left alone, unsettled reflection staring back at her in the glass.


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer:** I own only my vague sense of reality.

**Author's Notes:** This chapter contains spoilers up to Season 2, Episode 8, "Save The Date".

Please, don't forget to tip your bards. If you take the time to read, do us authors a solid and take the extra second to review.

Thank you, everyone, for the faves/follows and reviews. Much appreciated! Comments and constructive criticism are welcome.

Enjoy!

**888**

"Knock knock," Paige called out as she pushed open the door to the hospital room. Judging by the way the nurse rolled her eyes when Paige had asked for Emily's room number, her teammate had been pretty busy. She was surprised not to find anyone but Emily in the room, her friend half reclined against some pillows, scanning through a magazine. It seemed even Hastings had taken a break from her watch.

"Paige, hey." Emily tossed the magazine to the foot of the bed and tried to push herself into a proper sitting position. Paige held up a hand to stop her, not wanting Emily to aggravate her stomach with too much movement.

"It's okay, relax." Putting down her purse, Paige offered a cup from the coffee tray she had brought with her.

"Thanks for the thought but I can't have coffee."

"It's just some steamed milk with a shot of mocha syrup. It should be okay with your stomach. You can pretend it's coffee," Paige offered, Emily's grateful look threatening to break her heart.

"How'd you find out? Does the whole school know?"

"Well..." Paige put down the flowers she had brought to wiggle her hand in a 'so-so' manner. "I made Sean call Hannah to find out what was up. I would have tried to get a hold of Hastings but I'm never sure when your guard dragon is leashed. Hannah seemed the better bet."

"The safer bet, you mean." Emily said with a smirk before sipping at her cup, dark eyes closing as a tiny smile came to her face.

"That too. These are for you." Paige held out the small bouquet. "Just so you don't think I'm some crazy girl who randomly carries flowers around." The words were out of her mouth before she could call them back, Paige rolling her eyes at herself. Her awkward was showing.

"They're beautiful."

"Well, better late than never I guess, I didn't get the chance to properly buy you flowers so..." Oh god, she was rambling, someone stop her.

"Paige..."

"That's not what I'm here about." Paige assured, mentally tugging on the emergency stop before she completely derailed herself. "I had to make sure you were okay." Pulling the chair behind her closer, Paige settled into her seat beside Emily's bed. "You scared the hell out of me this afternoon." Paige admitted, resting her arms on the bed as her hands fiddled absently with her coffee cup. "I, uh, I don't know if I've ever been that scared." Even when 'A' had tried to run her down, it was more anger than fear that had overcome her. Seeing Emily on the ground in pain, unable to help... Paige had never felt more useless, more afraid.

"Hey," Emily placed her hand on Paige's, the cool skin a stark contrast to the steaming coffee cup. "I'm okay. I feel like someone is ramming a spike into my stomach but I'm okay."

Paige searched Emily's eyes for deception, nodding when she found none. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Keep me company until my guard dragon comes back?"

"I can do that." A squeeze and Emily released her hand, settling back into her pillows. "But I refuse to read that crap to you." Paige pointed to the teen magazine that Emily had tossed to the foot of her bed.

"Hannah." They said in unison, laughing together for the first time in weeks.

"Tell me how the meet went."

Paige sat back, rolling her eyes. "Oh my god, we had to put Chloe as starter. You'll never guess what she did..."

An hour later, Emily was quietly snoring, having dozed off as Paige read through a swimming article. Pushing herself out of the chair, Paige proceeded to tug the covers up to Emily's shoulders, hoping to ward off the chill of the hospital room. Emily's coffee cup was still held loosely in one hand and Paige pulled it free, setting it next to the flowers. She left the copy of 'Swimmer World' on the night stand, dog earring the article.

A quick check to make sure she had everything and Paige was ready to go, uninterested in crossing paths with Hastings. Acting on impulse, she leaned over the bed, brushing a featherlight kiss to Emily's temple in goodbye. She closed the door gently as she left, heading into the hall only to be bowled over by Mr. Fields. Thankfully, his instincts were faster than Paige's and he grabbed her arms to keep her from going completely ass over tea kettle, his sheepish smile a clone of Emily's.

"Sorry about that."

"It's okay, I wasn't watching where I was going." Paige waved it off, smiling at the broad shouldered man. Even if she hadn't known who he was, she would have picked him for Emily's father. He stood proudly, shoulders back, kind eyes mirroring his daughter's.

"Listen, I wanted to thank you, for helping Emily." He pulled her to a set of chairs and they sat down. "Not just today, I know you've been helping her train this last little while."

Paige nodded, slightly taken aback, she had no idea Emily had even spoken to her parents about her.

"I know you two got off to a rough start and your father and I certainly have a few issues we don't see eye to eye on. I just want you to know that I appreciate you looking after my little girl."

"Are you going to take Emily to Texas?"

His pursed lips showed the thought had crossed his mind -probably more than once- but he eventually shook his head. "No. I think all this, the ulcer, losing swimming is going to be tough enough on her. Compounding it with losing her support system and being thrown into a new environment would be too much too fast."

"Wait, losing swimming? Mr. Fields, that'll crush her."

"I know but she needs to be healthy to compete and all this stress, it's a big contributor to her getting sick in the first place. This scout and the scholarship..."

Paige closed her eyes, guilt immediately setting in. She had set this in motion with the fake letter. If she hadn't worked so hard to keep orbiting the star that was Emily, her friend would be in Texas by now. Healthy. Safe.

"Swimming is off the table. For now. When she's healthy again, I don't imagine there's much anyone will be able to do to keep her out of the water."

Paige nodded, knowing it for truth. "I'll help where I can." It was the least she could do.

"Thank you, I really appreciate it. I'd better get in there, make sure she's feeling all right."

"She zonked out about fifteen minutes ago." Paige said, standing with him.

"Good, she needed some rest. Thanks again, for everything." He squeezed her shoulder before heading for Emily's room, leaving Paige to contemplate her guilt in silence.

**888**

The weekend passed slowly. Keith was still out of commission so Paige spent her hours of scheduled practice time at Rosewood Public, swimming laps and timing herself on the large clock. Her father was out by the time she came home and she was settled in her room downstairs by the time he returned, a regularity she was now accustomed to. Sunday started much the same way until they gathered together for service, her mother pointedly reminding her that skipping church for a month wasn't liable to help her win her father over.

They settled into the car together, the silence immediately uncomfortable. It was the first time Paige had set eyes on him in over a week, even the last sighting had only been in passing on the way out the door. Her mother was quick to begin conversation, asking Paige about Friday's meet.

Her father acknowledged news of their win with a nod, attitude seeming to shift somewhat toward the positive when Paige mentioned the Danby scout had sought her out to commend her performance.

"That's... that's good news, Paige. Well done."

Paige stared at the back of his head, eyes shifting to her mother who wore a pleased smile as they continued their drive to church. When the service was over, her mother suggested lunch for the three of them and they found themselves at the Apple Rose Grill, the scene bordering so close to normal that Paige barely recognized it.

"How's practice?" Her father asked when her mother's conversation had run dry.

"Good. After next week we go down to one a days until finals are over," Paige said, intent on keeping the conversation away from anything that was remotely emotional. This conversation -stilted as it was- was the most interaction there had been with her father since he had threatened to send her to a deprogramming camp. Paige missed him and she was determined to keep them on as even a keel as possible.

"Did you want to cancel your sessions with Keith until finals are over? He's been having some troubles at home. I understand his wife's taken ill and the early mornings have become hard for him."

"I was actually hoping that we could just shift them to the afternoon, if he has a slot. That way I can go early to the Sharks practice and still get in afternoon training. It'd basically be the same amount of time in the pool." As much as Paige might like to let up on the gas, without Emily, it was up to her to pull her team through to state finals. "That or I thought I could get the girls to go to Rosewood Public with me a few afternoons. Once we get back from finals we have two meets a week right until we hit the state competition."

Her father seemed surprised that she had thought out her schedule so thoroughly, nodding agreeably at the suggestions. "That sounds reasonable, I'm certain we can work out a few afternoon lessons with Keith and you can organize the Sharks for the other days. Fair enough?"

Paige smiled brightly at the level headed compromise. That her father was willing to work with her promised hope for the future. While her coming out may have hurt their relationship, it hadn't torn it from its foundations the way she feared. They might get through it yet. Paige looked at her mother, the woman smiling smugly to herself as she ate her meal.

**888**

Monday morning, Paige headed up the steps to the school, tugging roughly on the outer door, her precariously balanced coffee threatening to tip over. She saved it just before disaster struck and walked to the locker room pulling on the door only to find it wouldn't budge. Locked.

"What the hell?"

It was just past six thirty, Coach Fulton should be on her second cup of coffee by now. Paige was the one who was running late. She tugged again, making sure the lock hadn't just gotten stuck. No luck. Wandering off in search of the caretaker, Paige found him busily scraping gum off the water fountain.

"Morning, Bert."

"Hey, Paige, what's up? Need something for the pool?"

"Kind of. Could you to unlock the change room? I think Coach is running late and the girls'll be here soon."

"Sure thing." He ambled over, searching through the litany of keys to crack open the door. Paige thanked him and made her way in, dropping her gear bag on the bench. Coffee cup in hand, she went in search of the light switch, eyebrow raised to see the light on in Coach Fulton's office. What the hell was going on?

Switch forgotten, Paige walked over to the small office, finding a woman shuffling through the papers on Coach Fulton's desk.

"Who the hell are you?"

The woman looked up, both startled by Paige's sudden appearance and obviously irritated at the brusque address. "I beg your pardon?"

"Who are you and what are you doing rifling through Coach Fulton's stuff?"

"My name is Coach Morgan. Now, would you like to try that introduction again?"

"Where's Coach Fulton?" Paige was uninterested in playing nice with an outsider who was manhandling Coach Fulton's entire office.

"She took some leave, I'll be filling in."

"Wait, what? Since when?" Paige looked around the small office, frowning to find none of the keepsakes Fulton usually kept on her shelves. No photos, no diplomas, not even the Shark Week calendar the team had given her. Nothing to say Fulton had ever inhabited the office.

"Since now. I'm guessing you're Paige McCullers."

"Yes." Morgan looked at her expectantly. "Yes, ma'am," Paige ground out, fingers unconsciously tightening around her coffee cup.

"Good, I wanted to speak with you about the changing of the guard."

"The locker room was locked this morning."

"I locked it. Practice starts at seven thirty, the locker room will be open at quarter after."

"I come here early to practice."

"And I respect your dedication but I'm not willing to cater my schedule to a single student. I'd like to arrange a time to sit down to discuss the team and the line-ups."

"Coach Fulton has the line ups. We're doing great." Paige didn't know why she had to explain something that was patently obvious. Their performance spoke for itself, why would the woman want to reinvent the wheel?

"Your line up centered around you and Miss Fields, correct?"

"We generally start and anchor if that's what you mean."

"It is. I understand Miss Fields is no longer swimming."

"It's an ulcer, she'll be back."

"We'll see. Until then, we need to readjust. Here, Coach Fulton left this for you." Paige was handed small box, a simple post it note with her name attached to the top. "I'll see you at quarter after."

Paige took the box and the dismissal, leaving the office without so much as a goodbye. She stalked into the change room, unreasonably tempted to launch her fist into the locker. She bit down on the urge, instead heading out into the hallway, needing to be outside. She pushed open the door, sucking in a deep breath of fresh, crisp air, purging her lungs of chlorine. She wanted to cry, wanted to flat out fall to her knees and bawl. She instead gave in the urge to throw something, launching her coffee at the garbage can, the paper cup hitting with an unsatisfying thud.

Paige leaned against the wall, sliding down the rough concrete to sit on her heels, head hanging in her hands. First Emily, now this. Her safe haven had been completely destroyed. Fulton had been her quiet support, her safe port during these last stormy months. She had stood by Paige when even Emily had given up on her. And now she was gone. Paige tipped her head back, eyes catching the still visible stars overhead, mocking her as they winked merrily. Bastards.

Her hands closed around the box that had been left for her, she had almost forgotten it was there. Flipping the lid open, Paige found a silver backed stopwatch resting on black velvet. She pulled it free of its case, the metal and glass shining in the bright security lights overhead. It was the engraving that undid her resolve, tears coming to her eyes as she read the words aloud.

"Be your best version."

Paige rested the watch in her palm, fingers closing around it, the heavy weight a comfort. She didn't bother to stop the tears that threatened, working only to quiet her sobs so she didn't lose complete control. She lost track of time, tucked into the cold concrete corner, the fading stars and moon her only company as she worked through her grief. Her watch eventually beeped its usual warning, ten minutes until the earliest of the girls would begin to show. Making her way to the locker room, Paige quickly ducked in to one of the bathroom stalls. She locked the door, leaning against the wall of the stall, pressing on her temples to ward off the urge to break down.

She didn't have the luxury to be able to break. Not now. Not when her entire team depended on her. Not when Fulton had asked her to be strong. Paige wiped the worst of the tears from her eyes and opened the door, nodding at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. A quick wash and some eye drops negated the worst of the damage, Paige seating herself on the bench to wait for the others.

They began to roll in by ones and twos, giving each other odd looks to find Paige sitting, dry, on the bench in the locker room.

"Paige?"

"We have some stuff to talk about, but we should wait until everyone gets here." Paige motioned for the girls to continue changing. No need to give Coach Morgan something to complain about first thing on a Monday morning. The others sorted themselves out and when all were accounted for, Paige stood, struggling to find the words to tell them about the upcoming changes. Morgan saved her the trouble, walking into the locker room, clipboard in hand.

"Thank you, Miss McCullers, for assembling the team. I wanted the opportunity to address you all at once." The stare from across the room told Paige she was meant to sit, her jaw tightening in immediate response to being ordered around. Still, there was no point in starting off worse than they already had. Bucking against the new order of things would only bring about more stress that she wasn't ready for. She sat, catching eyes with Vicky whose glance was questioning.

"My name is Coach Morgan, I'll be taking you through the rest of your swim season."

The immediate rise of chatter drowned out whatever the Coach Morgan was going to say next, her words unheard as the team talked amongst itself. The woman was immediately frustrated, the spiteful part of Paige enjoying the irritation. Unfortunately the lack of control didn't just reflect poorly on them, it reflected poorly on Coach Fulton's discipline. That wasn't something Paige was willing to allow.

Paige stood, barking out a sharp "hey!" to quiet them.

The chorus of voices died, all eyes turning to her. It felt like a betrayal, every part of Paige wanting to rebel as she walked through the sea of seated girls to stand by their new coach. To fracture now, to let the upset of someone new coming in to throw off their game, would destroy everything they had worked for. If Paige allowed them to start infighting, to begin acting only for themselves, it would doom the entire team to the mediocrity they had been heading for early in the season. She had to hold it together, like Coach Fulton had asked her too, keep the girls acting as one unit. The best way to do that was to provide a united front, the way her parents did. Paige would save her misgivings for a private time. For now, they had to act for each other and the only way to do that was to accept the things they couldn't change.

"Guys, I know this isn't easy, but it's happening and we all need to adapt. We still have a season to finish and Coach Morgan is the person who's going to be with us through that."

"What happened to Coach Fulton? She didn't even say goodbye."

Paige thought she had said goodbye, to her at least. The sad words on Friday had been a quiet warning of things to come. Acknowledging that none of the others had known anything was wrong -and hoping for answers herself- Paige turned that question to Morgan.

"I'm not certain what the circumstances are. I only know that Coach Fulton had to take a leave of absence and I was brought in to replace her."

"How long?"

"At this point, indefinitely."

Paige narrowed her eyes, knowing that meant it was unlikely Coach Fulton would ever be back.

"Any other questions?"

The faces of her teammates told Paige there were more questions but none of them felt safe addressing them to an unfamiliar interloper. Especially one who had taken the place of their beloved coach. Paige knew the moment practice was over, she would be inundated with questions. For now, they had work to do. "Let's get in the water."

**888**

When practice was over, Paige called Vicky to her side. She didn't have Emily so she needed to start leaning on others, people who were better situated than herself to take the pulse of the team. "I want a team meeting after tonight's practice. We can have it at The Brew. Spread the word and try to keep the girls quiet until then. Some of the muttering I heard in the pool, we need to stop it now."

"Okay, Cap'n. I'll get the girls organized for rides."

"Good, thanks." Paige left the change room, headed for her book locker to collect her things. She pulled her watch from her pocket, she had kept it with her on deck all morning, reticent let it leave her sight. It was her only connection now to a woman who had been one of her staunchest supporters. Paige looked at it, rubbing her thumb across the engraving before putting it away.

Her cellphone beeped and she flipped it open.

**In the cafeteria with Sean, come get caffeine.-Pru**

Paige sent off a quick reply, she had no real urge to be social but time with her friends might do her good. And she did need another coffee. Another beep had Paige rolling her eyes, they would be seeing each other in two minutes, nothing could be that important.

**Poor Pigskin, all alone. No Emily. No Coach. I'll be your friend.-A**

"Son of a bitch."

It wasn't inconceivable to think that 'A' had somehow engineered Coach Fulton's resignation. Paige had no idea what someone like Fulton could have that she would allow herself to be manipulated but Paige knew that even the most innocent of things -looked at in the wrong context- could spell trouble.

If 'A' was responsible, Paige had no doubt it was at least in part due to her coming out. 'A' was proving that no matter what Paige did to free herself, they had ways of controlling her life beyond what she could even guess at. This was going to get worse before it got better.

When she found 'A', figured out what the hell they had done to Coach, Paige was going to make them pay. First things first, she had to get to Caleb, find out what he had managed to get from her phone.

Her attention was pulled from 'A' when she caught sight of Emily walking down the hall, Rosewood Sharks binder tucked under her arm. Paige approached her friend who seemed lost in her own world as she fumbled with her locker.

"Hey, how you feeling?" Paige asked, coming up beside Emily.

"Tired of people asking me that, mostly."

Paige's raised her eyebrows, taken aback by the irritation in Emily's voice.

"Sorry, Paige. I didn't mean for that to come out like that."

"It's okay, it would bug the hell out of me too. Is there anything I can do?"

"If you've got a new stomach handy, I'll take that."

Paige let out a laugh. "I'll get on that."

"Sorry I missed practice this morning, I wanted to come watch but my body just wouldn't let it happen. I'm going to talk to Coach Fulton at lunch and let her know what's up. I left a message on her office voicemail but she never got back to me."

Crap.

"Paige, why do you look like you just smelled skunk?"

There was no way not to tell Emily. She would find out soon enough and Em would freak on her if she knew that Paige knew and hadn't told. "Em, Coach Fulton...she's gone."

"What do you mean gone?"

"Left. She's not at Rosewood anymore, we found out this morning."

"What?! Who the hell is coaching?"

"Someone named Coach Morgan. I'm going to get my dad to ask around, find out what we can."

"But... why didn't Coach tell us she was leaving? That doesn't make any sense."

"I don't know, Em. I really don't. Look, this isn't something you have to worry about right now." Paige needed to calm her friend down, stress couldn't be good for her stomach.

"Don't have to worry about it? Paige, what happens when I come back? I don't know Morgan, why would she even let me back on the team so late in the semester?"

"Because you're one of the best swimmers and we're going to need you. But we need you healthy and you're not going to get that way if you're stressing yourself out." Even now, Emily looked uncomfortable, hand instinctively pressing on her stomach. "Hey." Paige touched her wrist, trying to bring Emily's attention back to her. "There isn't one person on the team who won't go to bat for you. When you're ready to come back, we're all behind you. Just take care of yourself. Okay?"

Emily nodded though she didn't seem particularly reassured.

"C'mon, I'll buy you a... well, not a coffee. How about some more steamed milk? You can tell me how bad hospital food really is." Paige hadn't seen Emily since her visit to the hospital, guilt over her part in the mess making her far too uncomfortable to go back. Emily walked with her and they hit the cafeteria, passing Sean and Pru who were sitting in a group of football players and their girlfriends. Ben was with the group but off to the side, dark eyes narrowing as Paige walked by.

"Ass," Paige muttered, pointedly ignoring his dark look.

"You know, that's the second time he's had the crap knocked out of him for going after a girl," Emily said as they walked up to the counter.

"What do you mean?" Paige ordered a coffee for herself. "Did you want milk or tea?"

"The milk was nice."

"One milk coming up." Paige placed the order and turned back. "Sorry, you were saying about Ben?"

"Oh, just that you weren't the first person to slug him for being too forward with a girl."

"I'm not surprised, who else did that neanderthal try to manhandle?"

Emily looked down, embarrassment colouring her features.

"You?!" Paige nearly yelled. "I should have hit that jerk twice." Her hands tightened around her coffee cup as she stared at Ben. A gentle hand landed on hers, pulling Paige away from the death glare that she usually reserved for Hastings.

"Toby banged him up pretty good and he hasn't bothered me since."

"He obviously didn't learn his lesson."

"The first time no but considering he had his ass handed to him by a girl this time, he might think twice."

"I guess my boxing lessons with Sean paid off." Paige saw the rest of Emily's group at the cafeteria entrance and motioned to them.

"Great, another riveting morning of Hannah finding different ways to say I have a hole in my stomach."

"...Gross."

"Yeah. Speaking of Sean, I see he and Pru are getting pretty close. You're okay with that?"

Paige laughed. "Sure, it's not like I want him that way." Paige winked at Emily, drawing a smile from the girl. "I'll see you in chem."

"Thanks for the non-coffee."

"Any time, Em."

Paige watched the girl head off to her own friends before she squeezed herself in between Pru and one of the football guys.

"Morning."

"Morning."

"Hey, Paige, guess what?"

"What's up?"

Sean handed her a flyer for a new boxing gym. The schedule was pretty diverse, offering classes through most of the day long as well as on weekends. They were no doubt catering to the odd schedules of the nearby Hollis and Sheridan campuses.

"You in? I thought maybe we could check it out this weekend since you don't have swim practice."

"Whoa, whoa," Pru broke in, "weekends are reserved for girlfriends, Mister."

Sean's eyes widened at the directive, Paige held up a hand to show she would handle it. "Pru, the Saturday classes start at eight, would you like to come with us?"

"In the morning?! Are you people nuts?!"

"That's what I thought. I promise he'll be home and showered by the time you roll out of bed at noon. Fair?"

"...Fair."

Paige nodded at Sean, smiling at his discreet thumbs up. Women.


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer:** I own only my vague sense of reality.

**Author's Notes:** This chapter contains spoilers up to Season 2, Episode 9, "Picture This".

Please, don't forget to tip your bards. If you take the time to read, do us authors a solid and take the extra second to review.

Thank you, everyone, for the faves/follows and reviews. Much appreciated! Comments and constructive criticism are welcome.

Enjoy!

**888**

After a long, pointless meeting with Coach Morgan -that ate up most of her lunch hour and her spare period- Paige tracked down Caleb. She caught sight of him just as he was leaving the washroom, the hallway relatively deserted. Grabbing his arm, she bodily dragged him into a nearby empty classroom.

"Whoa, easy, Killer. I know you've got a mean right hook but you don't usually beat up the guy who works for you."

"If I wanted to beat you up, you'd be on the ground already," Paige assured. "What do you have? Anything?"

"Well, it definitely wasn't just a normal email. This guy bounced it off a few places to try and throw off any trace backs, he's good."

Paige frowned, that wasn't positive news.

"Luckily, I'm better." Caleb smiled expectantly and Paige pulled out the envelope, handing him the money. "And my new customers?"

"I'll send them your way once I know the information is good." Her dad negotiated for a living, she knew better than to tip her hand before the dealer was done laying down the cards.

"The email came from here."

"I kind of figured whoever it was lived in Rosewood."

"No, I mean here, like, the café across the street. Whoever they are, they're pretty local."

"The café has sign in sheets, doesn't it?"

"Nothing with names, they might keep an electronic log of when a computer's in use but it wouldn't help. They've got nothing for security, no cameras, they deal mostly in cash so no receipts. Nothing that would help."

"Damn it." Paige pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to ward off the migraine she could feel coming. The one clue she had and it was a total dead end.

"I don't know who you're dealing with and that seems to be the way they want it. Using a public computer, bouncing it around... " Caleb shrugged.

"What about the phone company?"

"What about it?"

Paige pulled him away from the door, what she was going to suggest walked firmly across the line between legal and illegal. "Could you trace a number? Hack the phone company and get an address?"

"That's some black hat stuff," Caleb warned. "It's not impossible but it doesn't come cheap."

"What am I looking at?" If it gave her 'A', no price was too high. She just needed time to get the money, she doubted Caleb dealt in installments.

"A grand."

"What?! I don't have that kind of cash."

"And I don't need that kind of record, it's the price of doing business."

Paige pursed her lips, wondering how the hell she could come up with a thousand dollars without her parents catching on. They had records of her bank account, there wasn't much she could slip by them.

"It'll take some time."

"According to the custody papers, I'm here until I'm eighteen. Let me know." With that, he turned to leave. "Don't forget about..."

"I'll send them your way, don't worry about it." Paige waved him off, sitting down in a desk to contemplate her next move.

Afternoon practice -their last week of such before final exams- went rather raggedly. The girls were still unused to Coach Morgan's style, no surprise given it was only their second go around. She coached in a manner similar to Keith, something Paige had gotten used to over the last few months. Her team, however, was used to precision and finesse in their coaching rather than the simple blunt force physicality of it.

Paige didn't say anything during the session, choosing to mark the issues in her mind and address them later. When practice was over, she quickly changed, nodding at the girls who caught her eye, trying to say without words that they should save their gripes for later. Morgan's post practice debrief lasted longer than Coach Fulton's, the woman making a point to pick out each person and offer critiques on their performance.

Not even Paige was immune and she fought to keep a rather venomous retort from passing her lips. More than one of her teammates sighed heavily, Vicky going so far as to place a hand on Chloe's shoulder to silence her when Morgan took a particularly large strip out of one of their weaker freshmen.

When Morgan dismissed them, Paige went to Piper, putting a companionable arm around the girl who was nearly in tears. Piper was admittedly weak -one of the most inexperienced swimmers on the team- but she had grown by leaps and bounds since the beginning of the season.

The old Paige would have revelled in those who didn't perform being taken to task, believing it was the best way to results. She knew better now. Everyone learned at their own pace, needed support. Coach Fulton had been that, for all of them, but it was increasingly obvious that wasn't Coach Morgan's style. It fell to the team to hold each other up.

"C'mon, Piper. Shake it off. We'll go have some coffee and figure things out, okay?"

Piper nodded, accepting the tissue that Vicky offered. As Paige looked around, she caught sight of Chloe rubbing the shoulders of an off put senior. They were already stepping in to buoy one another. They would be okay.

It was short work to get the team to the Brew, Paige texting her mom along the way to let her know she would be home late. They took up most of the back corner of the cafe, Paige ordering carafes of coffee and hot chocolate to be left on the table.

"We obviously have some issues and it's only day one. Let's talk. I want to hear your concerns but I don't want this to turn into a total bitch session. We need to address issues and find solutions that will actually work. The most important thing through all of this is that we stick together. Coach Fulton worked hard to get us working as a unit, we can't let that change. Is that something we all agree on?"

The team nodded collectively.

"We'll go around and voice our biggest concern. Don't worry if it sounds silly, chances are someone else feels the same way. Vicky, you're up first."

It took an hour to get through all the issues, the most prominent being the hostility they felt toward someone who had usurped Coach Fulton's position. Paige had no argument for that except to say they needed to judge Morgan on her own merits. Morgan hadn't orchestrated the move, she had merely been tapped to replace Fulton.

Many were worried about Emily's return and whether it would be allowed so late into the season. Paige assured she would lobby hard and expected the team to stand behind Emily if and when she was able to return. They decided on afternoon practices at Rosewood Public during finals, each of the seniors and juniors responsible for leading one of the days apiece.

"This is going to take some time to adjust but we have to stay positive. If you have a problem, come to me, we'll do our best together to get it fixed. Don't let it fester and don't snipe behind each others backs. It'll destroy morale and we've already taken a hard hit losing Coach and Emily at the same time. This is when we have to stick together, more than ever."

Paige could barely believe the words were coming out of her mouth. Her old self would have just pulled pin, concentrating on her own performance and leaving the others to founder. No more. She would push, pull and prod the Sharks into the state championships if for no other reason than she promised Coach Fulton that she would.

When the meeting was over, Paige headed home, pedaling contemplatively. A lot of change had taken place over a very short period. It would take time to adjust to not having Emily and Fulton in her corner. Some small part of Paige was tempted to accept 'A's offer of friendship, if only to have one less thing to worry about. She dismissed it quickly, being friends with 'A' was akin to the parable of the frog and the scorpion. No one would win.

Paige couldn't trust the bitch as far as she could throw her cellphone and worse, she had no doubt her first test of loyalty would be an act against Emily. As hurt as she was about the entire Samara debacle, Paige still didn't have that in her.

Paige entered the house, slinging her bag under the table as usual though -for the first time in weeks- her father was in his seat, paper in hand.

"Hi, Honey, how was your day?" Her mother kissed her on the temple and sat down, mug of tea in hand.

"Um... interesting." Paige had no other word for it as she sat to eat. Her parents were already done, her mother with work spread across the table, her father making notes about stocks from the Wall Street Journal. "Coach Fulton left Rosewood High."

Even her father looked surprised, evidently the news hadn't made it across the McNab grapevine yet. "Did they say what happened?"

"No, nothing. They hired someone named Coach Morgan. Have you heard of her?" They made a point of knowing the local coaches and Morgan didn't register anywhere in Paige's memory. Her father was better tapped into the university vein, maybe he had heard of her.

"I'll look into it, this is a poor time to be changing horses. I may not have agreed with all of Coach Fulton's decisions but the team has been rising steadily in the standings since she took on the position. It doesn't make sense to replace her." He placed his newspaper on the table, cellphone ringing as he stood. "Dean, Paige just told me. Have you heard of this Coach Morgan?" He walked away from the table, heading in to his office.

"Do you think Coach Fulton is okay? I mean, if Dad thinks it's weird, maybe she had to leave. You don't think she's sick or anything, do you?"

"Your father is on it. If there's anything to know, he'll find out what it is."

He didn't. At least, not before Paige went to bed. She woke up two hours later than normal, feeling obscenely slothful as she rolled out of bed and walked upstairs. Her father was at the table, eyeing her curiously as she sat down.

"Morgan won't open the pool until quarter after seven, I can't get in early to train," Paige explained trying to keep the pout of her voice. She was concerned the gains she had made with her rigorous schedule would regress if she didn't keep the same pace. She actually found herself missing her sessions with Keith, an occasion Paige never thought would come to pass.

"That's ludicrous, what is the school paying her for?"

"She said practice doesn't start until seven thirty and she won't open early for a single student. Em's out with her stomach and there's no way I can convince enough of the others to come in early to make a case for it."

"I'll speak with Keith and make sure he's available after school until his morning schedule sorts itself out."

"I'm going to be leading practice with the Sharks in the afternoons," Paige said, unwilling to shirk her duty of keeping the team together.

"Dean mentioned that. It was a good idea to get your team together to discuss the new order. You have to be sure everyone knows the goal is the same. I'm proud of you for taking responsibility of your team, that's what a true leader does. Keith can travel to Rosewood Public to help with your team sessions, I'll speak with some of the other parents about absorbing the cost. I won't watch this woman sink your season because she's too lazy to foster the talent she has. It's going to be a rough enough road without Ms. Fields."

Paige cut her eyes quickly to her mother, her surprise showing in her expression. It was the first time he had said Emily's name in weeks and the only time he had acknowledged that Emily was one the pillars of the team.

"Uh, yeah. With any luck, Emily won't be out too long," Paige said, hoping she wasn't making the ice beneath her crack by elaborating on the subject of Emily.

"Luck is for the ill prepared. We'll hope for the best and plan for the worst. This late in the game, it's safer to assume that you'll be finishing the season without your senior starter."

Paige sighed, knowing it was a very real possibility. It could take weeks for the ulcer to heal and longer still before Emily would be ready for the physicality of swimming. "Maybe Keith can concentrate on getting Chloe comfortable as the starter. She's a ball of nerves on the block and she didn't seem to get on well with Morgan which isn't going to help. If we could turn up the heat in the pool, I could train here before school until Keith can take me back in the morning. I can't let anything slip at this point."

Her father nodded his agreement, expression saying he was pleased they had a concrete plan to carry them through the next few weeks.

"Dad... I... thank you."

He looked at her, thin lips pursed as he reached over to take Paige's hand. "I don't agree with... some of your choices."

Paige forced herself not to buck against the concept that it was a choice, knowing there was only so much a man in his position could give. She tried to think of her mother's words, remembering how long it had taken for her to come to terms with herself. She needed to give her father time as well.

"That being said, you're still my daughter. The way you've stepped into your responsibilities, taken care of your team, defended the weak, it makes me proud of you. You're still the… person I wanted you to be."

"Dad..." She had no words, merely stood and fell into his arms, accepting the tight hug that he offered.

"I don't understand, Paige. I don't. But no one will ever fight for you as hard as I will."

"I know, Daddy, I know." She snuggled into his broad chest, feeling a calmness descend on her that had been elusive for years. It wasn't total acceptance, not yet, but he still loved her, he would still stand behind her and that was something they could work with. Her watch beeped out her alarm, she had to get going if she was going to make it practice on time.

"How about I give you a ride today? It's cold out there."

"That'd be great." Paige pulled away, wiping at her eyes. She noticed he discreetly did the same, clearing his throat as he stood to collect his things. Her mother reached across the table, squeezing her hand before heading into the kitchen.

The ride to school was short, Paige filling her father in on some of the happenings of the last few weeks. By the time she had gotten most of the way through, they were at the school some ten minutes early. Emily was sitting on the steps, holding two coffee cups. Paige looked at her father, his jaw tensing as he recognized her teammate. She held her breath, bracing for some kind of blow out, pleasantly surprised when none came.

"Wish Miss Fields a speedy recovery for me," he said, somewhat stilted. Paige squeezed his arm, leaning over to kiss him on the cheek.

"I will. Thanks for the ride, Dad."

"You'll be okay getting home?"

"Yeah, I'm supposed to meet Pru after practice, she wants to go shopping."

"Alright then, I'll see you at home."

Paige pushed open the door, bracing herself against the cold air. Emily stood as she approached, offering Paige one of the cups.

"My turn, right?"

"You didn't have to, Em. You should be resting."

"I just thought I'd watch practice, get a feel for the new coach." Emily sipped at her cup, the smell of hot milk wafting over to Paige. "So, your dad dropped you off. I... would have sat around back if I'd known."

"No, Emily, listen..." This was it. Paige could finally tell her that things were okay, that they could have an honest shot, if Emily would give them a chance. "I... ach." Paige turned away as the harsh light of a set of high beams caught her in the eyes. "Damn, what's with the solar flares?"

The car pulled into the lot, the engine clicking off. Coach Morgan stepped out, hair pulled tight in a no nonsense ponytail. "Ms. McCullers."

"Morning, Coach." Shaking away the irritation of the ruined moment, Paige motioned to Emily. "This is ..."

"Emily Fields," Coach Morgan finished, offering a hand to Emily who shook it, casting a sideways glance at Paige for how to proceed. "I was under the impression you weren't able to participate."

"I'm not. I just wanted to watch practice so I wouldn't fall too far behind."

"I teach my lessons in the water Ms. Fields. I'm not sure what you expect to learn sitting on the bench." Morgan walked past them, Paige and Emily turning to watch her go.

"Oh boy."

"You don't know the half of it." Paige motioned for Emily to precede her up the stairs. They walked through the silent halls, Morgan somewhere ahead of them.

"Was there something you wanted to tell me?" Emily asked, nodding her thanks at Paige as she opened the door to the locker room.

"McCullers, can I speak with you?" Coach Morgan's voice floated into the room from somewhere on deck.

Paige fought the urge to roll her eyes, a big part of keeping the team in line meant keeping herself from voicing her own discontent. She put her hand in her pocket, fingers brushing the stopwatch that hadn't left her possession since yesterday.

"There is but I'll talk to you later, okay?" Paige squeezed Emily's hand, shotgunned the last of her coffee then tossed it into the garbage as she passed. Morgan was in the office –Paige stubbornly refused to think of it as 'her' office- waiting for her. Morgan made no gesture for Paige to sit as she walked in.

"What's Emily doing here?"

Paige raised an eyebrow, confused by the question. "Uh, coming to practice?" Paige hazarded.

"She's going to distract the others."

"She's part of the team, Coach. I think the others will be more distracted if they're wondering how she's doing than if they actually know she's okay."

"Then she can stay for today to reassure them. After that, practice is for participating teammates only."

"What? Why? What difference does it make?"

"I don't make a habit of explaining my decisions, Captain." Morgan focused her stern gaze on Paige, evidently expecting her to wilt under the stare. The woman had nothing on Hastings and certainly nothing on 'A', Paige had fought worse enemies and won. While she couldn't afford to make an enemy of the woman so early on -not with their season at stake- she wasn't about to roll over every time Morgan threw her weight around.

"I get that you don't want to explain yourself but for the record, I think you're wrong."

"Will you be speaking with her or will I?"

"I'll do it." Paige wasn't about to start shirking her responsibilities now. Some of the others were already grouping around Emily as Paige made her way on deck. The good natured girl had amassed a staunch set of supporters in her team and everyone was glad to see her back. The sharp blow of the whistle ended the chatter and the others dove in the pool. Paige peeled off her warmups, tossing her jacket on to the bench. Paige pulled out her stopwatch."Em, would you hold onto this for me?" She didn't want to risk it getting damaged or slipping from her pocket.

"Wow, this is beautiful."

"Thanks." Paige slid the long chain over Emily's head, settling the weight on her neck. "Do me a favour and time me? I have a feeling Morgan's going to be harping pretty hard on Chloe and Piper."

"Sure thing."

Paige went through practice, correcting the small errors she saw with teammates on her end. The assistant coach had her hands full trying to coach the junior varsity side, Coach Morgan's attention zeroed in on their weakest freshmen. No one looked happy at the end of it, least of all Emily who was rubbing her stomach as she stood. Paige offered a hand to help her down from the bleachers, feeling sympathy pains at Emily's uncomfortable wince.

"She isn't worth making yourself sick over," Paige said quietly.

"She can't just overturn everything Coach Fulton taught us."

"I don't think that's what she's trying to do, we just need to get used to her style. Listen, we have to talk about practices..."

"McCullers." Morgan walked up, looking between Emily and Paige. "You've explained the situation?"

"What situation?" Emily asked.

Paige frowned, she had wanted to break the news easily, present it to Emily as an opportunity to focus on getting herself better without feeling like she had ditched the team. Not to be.

"Practice is for active team members only, Ms. Fields. Closed to spectators."

"I'm on the team."

"According to my list, you're not. Not until you get the doctor's okay."

"You're banning me from the pool?!" Her teammate was as angry as Paige had ever seen, dark eyes flashing with hostility.

"Em." Paige placed a hand on the girl's back, gently gripping her belt to make sure Emily didn't try to take a swing at the Coach.

"Paige." Emily turned to her, pleading for support.

"Come see me when you've been given the okay to return. Then we can talk about the possibility of you finishing the season." Coach Morgan turned and walked away. Emily opened her mouth, the anger in her eyes promising whatever came out wasn't going to be productive. Paige clamped a hand over her mouth, tugging hard to pull her behind the bleachers. Emily wrenched out her grip, turning her cold stare on Paige.

"Who the hell does she think she is?!"

"She's the Coach, Em. We have to play by her rules or we may not get to play. I want you back." Paige could have slapped herself for the double entrendre but kept going. "But you're no good to us if you let her get to you, we need you healthy. Just give it time, we'll figure something out. We're going to have after school practice at Rosewood Public during finals, come to those. We'll do some light workouts and test out how you feel. Okay?"

"Since when are you the peacekeeper, McCullers?" Emily's slight smirk let Paige know her anger was subsiding, the question meant as a tease.

"Someone once told me that problems aren't always problems, they're just situations that you haven't looked at from the right angle. We'll find the angle, Em, promise. C'mon, I bet the others are waiting to question you to death."

Paige threw an arm across her friend's shoulders, walking with Emily back to the locker room. Paige took her time getting changed, leaving Emily to chat with the others as she towelled her hair dry and pulled it into a ponytail. Her bangs were completely frustrating, left to grow out the blunt style that Pru had unequivocally told her would be the end of their friendship if it wasn't sorted. Paige hadn't thought it was so bad but she did like the softer look, especially now that her face was leaning out from the extra training. Once she was changed and ready to go, she walked out to the locker room surprised to find Emily still sitting on the bench.

"I forgot to give this back." Emily held out the stopwatch.

"You didn't have to wait, you could have just given it to me in chemistry. It's not like I thought you were going to take off with it."

"I might have, it's gorgeous."

"Walk me to class? Spencer has had a particular glare on for me lately."

"If it makes you feel better, it's not just you. I thought she almost set Mona on fire at the fashion show."

Paige laughed, walking beside Emily as they navigated the bustling hallways. "I could imagine that, Mona was pretty intense. I think she tried to get anyone within hollering distance to either build or walk the runway."

"That sounds about right." They made their way into class, Pru already seated and smirking like a maniac to see Paige and Emily together. She rolled her eyes, ignoring Hastings completely for once. As weird of a morning as it had been, she felt oddly cheery and was in no mood for a Hastings hate on.

The day went easily enough, lunch with Pru, workout with Sean, practice with the Sharks before heading to Pru's for shopping and dinner afterward.

"So, you and Emily looked pretty chummy this morning," Pru said as they lay on her bed, Paige hanging upside down to stretch out the tightness in her back.

"Don't start."

"I'm just saying. You're out, she's out. Tell her to ditch the bitch and get back on track."

"You don't think it's just a tiny bit unethical to try and break up Emily's relationship?" Paige lifted her head up to look at Pru who didn't seem to think anything of it. "No, of course you wouldn't. Pru, I just got onto some stable ground with my Dad. Do you really think dating Emily is going to score me any points?"

"He's got to get used to the idea of you dating a chick sooner or later. At least she's an athletic army brat, you could date some nerdy, atheist hipster if you really wanted to yank his chain."

"I... I don't even know how to respond to that." Paige sighed. "To be honest, I have been thinking about it. I mean, my parents finding out was a big part of what broke us up."

"That's what I'm saying." Pru threw a pillow at her as if it would prove her point. "I've seen that Samara chick. One, you could totally take her in a fight."

Paige rolled her eyes, as if that had even been a question.

"And two, she's annoying as shit. Just walk up to Emily, tell her you're out and plant one on her. Problem solved."

"See, the scary thing is, that actually makes sense to you."

"God, you're such a chickenshit. You do know that well behaved women rarely make history?"

Paige slid off the bed, reaching her palms up to the ceiling to stretch as she spoke. "Em has a ton of stress in her life right now. I'm just not sure that trying to tip the boat is a good idea, what if I stress her out and she gets sick again? Ugh, what if she tells me she likes Samara better?"

"Then she's a liar." Pru fixed her with one of the more serious stares Paige had seen on the girl. "I've seen the way she looks at you. You just have to go for it."

"Easy for you to say." Paige frowned, wishing she had Pru's confidence. "You always get the person you're going after."

"Because I'm a superstar who knows how to read people. I can read Emily, she likes you."

Paige sighed, willing to accept that Pru might be right but knowing that was a far step from gutting up and doing what she wanted to do. "I'll talk to her on the weekend."

Pru's raised eyebrow let Paige know she didn't believe her.

"I will, I'll call and ask her for coffee after Sean and I are done at the gym on Saturday. I just need to get through this meet. Morgan is developing into a chronic pain in my ass and it's only been two days."

"How are you doing with that? I know you got along really well with Coach Fulton."

"I'm more worried than I anything else. Coach Fulton loved her job, she loved the team, if she left... it's because something went wrong." Paige was sure of it. If it wasn't 'A' then something else in Coach Fulton's life had been thrown off balance.

"Maybe we can figure out what happened."

"No," Paige said, startling Pru with her abruptness. She wouldn't let Pru get wrapped up in the 'A' game because she was sleuthing around on Paige's behalf. "If she wanted us to know what was happening, she would have told us."

"Okay, if you're sure." Pru looked at her like she'd grown a second head but Paige just shook it off. Her watch beeped the hour, eight o'clock. She needed to get home and get some studying done. Paige said her goodbyes, cutting across the dark park to get to her house. The lights were on in the living room and she walked in to see her mom on the couch, flipping idly between TV channels.

"Hey, Honey, how was dinner?"

"Good." Paige walked over, accepting the kiss on her cheek that her mother offered. "Pru's mom is trying the vegetarian thing though, I don't suppose there's any leftover chicken?"

"Sure is, I'll get it for you."

"No, no, sit, relax. I got it." Her mother squeezed her hand before returning her attention to her shows. Heading for the kitchen, Paige passed by the open door of her father's office. She poked her head in to see him elbow deep in papers, a well loved symphony playing softly in the background. "Hey, Dad."

"Hey." He looked up, offering her a smile that had become rare between them lately. Paige noticed his half eaten dinner, shoved to the corner of his desk, forgotten.

"I'm going to heat up some chicken, want me to nuke that for you?"

He looked at the meal, seeming surprised to find it there. "That'd be great, I got so tied up in these…" he motioned to the papers, letting the sentence hang. Paige grabbed the plate, careful not to overturn the stack of papers it was holding down and headed for the kitchen. She made herself a plate of chicken and veggies, leaving the food to microwave as she grabbed a fork and two bottles of water. When it was finished, she took the whole set into his office.

"Thanks. Didn't even realize how hungry I was until I smelled it cooking again."

"No worries." Paige shifted her bag, debating her next move. She would no doubt have more room at the dining table but she knew that rebuilding their relationship wasn't a one way street. They had to walk toward one another. "Could I... work in here? I've got to read a bunch of chapters and Mom'll think she has to turn the TV off if I sit at the table."

He was obviously surprised by the question, it had been a long time since she had offered to spend alone time with him. "Of course." He stood, clearing a section for her and Paige claimed one of the wingback chairs, pulling it to the desk. Paige left her books in her bag while she set upon her second dinner, pleased to see that her father pushed his own work to the side to concentrate on his meal. "So… how was your day?"

"Sean found a new boxing gym that opened down on Riverside. We're going to go try it out on Saturday, see if we like it."

"He getting tired of being beat up by a girl?"

Paige laughed at the joke, glad the conversation was somewhat easier. She wondered how much of the distance between them had been her pushing away in an attempt to hide herself. Maybe some of her father's need to control hadn't been about holding her down, it had simply been about holding on. A forced closeness in exchange for what had once been true camaraderie. They couldn't fix it all at once but if he was willing to try, Paige could do no less.

When the food was finished, they both set to work, Paige tucking herself into the wingback to read, her father pouring over his papers as Beethoven played softly in the background.


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer:** I own only my vague sense of reality.

**Author's Notes:** Apologies for the late post, my publishing house closed and the last few weeks have been a scramble to sort out a new home for my novel.

Between my dayjob and writing, I've managed to fall completely behind on fresh Paily posts. I'm looking to you, dear reader, to guide me. If you've written or read a Paily fic that is just the cat's ass, pimp it in the comments section for your fellow Anchors (and me) to check out. This story is pretty heavily trafficked so it's a great chance to promo your work, get to it!

This chapter contains spoilers up to Season 2, Episode 11, "I Must Confess".

Please, don't forget to tip your bards. If you take the time to read, do us authors a solid and take the extra second to review.

Thank you, everyone, for the faves/follows and reviews. Much appreciated! Comments and constructive criticism are always welcome.

Enjoy!

**888**

Wednesday and Thursday passed quickly. Paige only caught glimpses of Emily in class or in passing, her rigorous schedule leaving little room to socialize, especially with Morgan banning the other girl from practice.

Morgan -in what Paige assumed was her flexing her muscles- had switched the final practice to Thursday after school, rather than the morning of, as had been Fulton's style. On her way to the locker, she saw Emily, her teammate looking a little worse for wear as she shoved her books about in her bag.

Paige's plans hadn't changed, she didn't want any emotional upset before the meet but it looked like she needed to check in with her friend.

"Hey, you."

"Paige. Hey." Emily glanced at her then turned back to her locker, eyes downcast.

"Yikes, don't get too excited."

"Sorry, I'm just tired. I was up late last night with Samara and her friends playing poker."

"You sure you're just tired?" Paige knew the attitude was more than fatigue, she had seen Emily tired, this was Emily depressed.

"I did something stupid and I'm not sure I can fix it."

Paige wanted to pry, wanted to shake answers loose, but it wasn't her place. Still, she couldn't just let Emily sit and stew, not when the girl looked like a spanked puppy. "Em, you're a catch. Samara has to know that. She's an idiot if she doesn't. Whatever you did, I'm sure it'll just... I'm sure she'll forgive you."

"Thanks. I'm not sure I agree but thanks."

"Are you okay? I mean, is there anything I can do?"

"No, it's fine. Thanks for being a good friend, Paige."

Paige smiled, hoping it didn't come off as strained. Friends. Friendzoned. Wonderful.

She said her goodbyes before she managed to put her foot in it further, leaving Emily to finish packing her locker as she headed for practice. It was particularly gruelling, Coach Morgan making them do far more physical drills than Fulton had ever done on the last practice before a meet. Pre-meet practices had been meant for tweaks, not drilling the team into the ground.

When practice was over, Paige made her way home, getting into the house just as dinner was plated.

"You look like you just ran a marathon," her father greeted, brow furrowed. "You should be saving your energy."

"Tell that to Coach Morgan." Paige sat, quickly slugging back a full glass of water.

"What is this woman playing at? She can't exhaust her team before a meet."

Paige shrugged, he was preaching to the converted.

"I don't want you in the pool in the morning, you need to save some energy."

"I'll just do a light run," Paige agreed. "I want to keep my legs loose but if I go all out, I'm not going to be fit for anything but floating in the water like a buoy."

"Ridiculous." Her father stabbed at his vegetables. "I have half a mind to go down there and ask what the hell she thinks she's doing."

"Nick..."

"Dad, don't. She's already got a chip on her shoulder, that'll make it worse. Maybe we just haven't gotten used to her style, I'm sure she has a reason for what she's doing."

"It had damn well better be a good one. Fulton's methods were producing results, why is this woman reinventing the wheel?"

The question was rhetorical and Paige went back to her dinner, thankful when her mom came up with less charged conversation. When they were done their meal, her father went in to this office, Paige following after him with book bag in tow. She pulled up a chair, folding herself into the comfy leather before she opened her text book. She had just begun to make notes when her father spoke.

"You know I'm not angry with you," he said, staring at her across his large desk.

"I know," Paige said with a nod. "Thanks for saying it."

888

Paige woke early as usual, the cancelled practices leaving her with three and half hours before school, more than enough time for a leisurely run. Breakfast consisted only of a banana and part of a protein bar, lesson long ago learned about what would and wouldn't stay in her stomach during a run.

She slipped her iPod into the pocket of her lycra pants, tugged a hoodie on to ward off the early morning chill, and headed out. She had no set path in mind, cutting through the park and up the hill she and Emily had biked during their first train wreck of a date. The grade was a good one for her legs, forcing her quads and calves to stretch. When she crested the hill, she took the opposite path down through somewhat unfamiliar forest. The paths here were designated specifically for pedestrians -not bikes- so she didn't know the area as well as some of the other parts of the park.

The sun was up by the time she turned for home, body functioning on auto-pilot as her legs ate up the terrain. Her iPod died just as she began to head back, Paige cursing the poor timing. Half a run left with nothing but her own thoughts to keep her company. She'd be fit for a straight jacket by the time she got home. It was the sudden silence that allowed her to hear it. Crying. She turned, closing her eyes to focus on the where the sound was coming from. There. Just to her left.

Paige walked cautiously toward the source, leery of approaching anyone in the woods. 'A' wasn't the only psychopath in the world and she was alone and unarmed. Where was a Hastings when you needed one?

"Hello?" Paige could see the bent over form -just beyond a thicket of trees- a young woman hugging her arms tight to her body. She stood as Paige spoke, turning to look for the source of the voice. What the... "Emily?"

Paige pushed through the brush, confusion giving way to concern at Emily's terrified face.

"Em, what's going on?"

Emily was obviously distraught but it didn't look as though she had gotten into any kind of physical altercation. The girl shook her head, dark hair bouncing in its ponytail as Emily struggled for words. Paige approached the other girl slowly, concerned she might spook her friend.

"Em, what's wrong?"

"What isn't? I messed up, I messed up everything."

"What are you talking about?" Paige stepped in, wrapping an arm around her friend. "Jesus, you're freezing." It was something Emily seemed to realize as she stepped into Paige, soaking up her body heat. Paige couldn't blame her, now that she wasn't moving she could feel the sweat begin to cool on her skin.

"I can't swim. I'm not going to get into college. Samara broke up with me and..."

"...and?" Paige prompted, Emily's tone letting her know there was more to the story. Whatever it was, Emily wasn't willing to share, dark head shaking as she laid it on Paige's shoulder.

"I just need someone to talk to, I can't do this anymore."

"Em, hey, it's okay. It's going to be okay." Paige held tightly to her friend, recognizing the despondency in Emily's tone. It terrified her. This was about more than Danby and Morgan and Samara. Something was eating at Emily and whatever it was, she couldn't share it with either her friends or Paige. "Listen, Coach Fulton gave me a number, someone to help me get through... stuff. Her name's Dr. Sullivan, I've never had a chance to check her out but Coach seemed to think she's good."

"She is. We had to go to her when all that stuff with Ian was happening."

"Did she help you?" Emily nodded against her. "Then maybe you should consider going back to see her. This isn't healthy, you're going to make yourself sick again. I hate to see you like this."

"I hate being like this, I feel like I've been walking on eggshells since Ali disappeared and now everything is just crumbling."

"We'll put it back together. C'mon, where'd you park? We need to get you somewhere warm." Paige kept her arm around Emily's waist, holding the unsteady girl to her as they walked back to the car. It took nearly an hour to get to the lot, Paige a block of ice by the time they slid into the seats. Emily was nearly blue, teeth chattering as she snapped on the heat to warm up the car. Once they were on the road, it was a short drive back to Paige's house and Emily parked at the bottom of the driveway.

"Do you want me to drive you to school? I probably threw off your whole morning when I screwed up your run."

"No, I still have time and you didn't screw up my run. I know that whatever you're going through, you can't talk to me about it. But if you ever want to just sit and not talk, I can do that too. Okay?" Paige had never thought they would get here, she -of all people- coaching Emily through emotional turbulence. It was a role reversal that Paige wasn't comfortable with. If even the level headed Emily could be thrown so far off kilter, what hope was there for her?

"Okay."

Paige slid out of the car, "Hey, if Samara broke up with you, it's because she didn't deserve you in the first place. It'll get better, you'll see."

"Thanks, Paige. Kick some ass tonight."

"Always." Paige closed the door, watching Emily drive away. She was worried, beyond worried really, Emily hadn't been in that kind of shape since Ian's death. Resolving to step firmly into her 'friend' shoes, Paige shelved the idea of trying to woo Emily back. Her friend was too vulnerable to be making those kinds of decisions. Maybe when Emily had worked through whatever was eating at her, Paige could sit her down and tell her how things had changed. Maybe.

The day was an odd one. The shrink Coach Fulton had mentioned came into the school to talk about bullying. Paige couldn't help but feel the woman was somehow talking to her as she spoke about bullies reaching beyond their former boundaries. Their torture was no longer limited to school and playgrounds. With the internet and cellphones, bullies were able to touch every part of their victims' lives, leaving them nowhere to turn for peace.

Paige knew the feeling.

It felt as if Dr. Sullivan had plucked Paige's thoughts directly from her mind and taken them to the high school pulpit. Where the hell had this woman been three years ago? Emily was fidgeting in her seat, the foursome looking between one another as Dr. Sullivan spoke. She momentarily caught eyes with her friend, the terror in them making Paige wonder if Emily's coming out hadn't been all sunshine and roses. Emily said she had fallen out of the closet but Paige had assumed that to be an exaggeration. The only person she knew who had bullied Emily for being gay, was herself. If Paige found out someone else had been involved, there would be hell to pay.

When the lecture was over, Pru and Paige left together, the foursome bailing as one for parts unknown.

"What do you think that was about?" Pru asked as they went to their lockers to collect their things for class.

"I have no idea."

"Weird. Anyway, you and Sean still checking out boxing tomorrow?"

"That's the plan. Did you have something better for him to do at eight o'clock in the morning?"

"Hell to the no, Batman. What all are you taking?"

"Bootcamp, boxing and then some kind of mixed martial arts class."

"And all of this is for your future occupation as a ninja?"

"It's good cardio and strength training and it's great for stress relief. Unless you'd like me to start throwing punches at you."

"Whatever, I'd just turn you in Spencer's direction and set you loose."

Paige rolled her eyes. "I'm going to hit the washroom. I'll see you at lunch." Pru waved and headed for her math class, Paige ducking into the restroom. Emily was inside, staring at the mirror, dark eyes troubled as the water ran in the sink. "Hey, you okay?"

A slight nod was her only answer, Emily standing in uneasy silence as the water continued to run. Paige stepped behind her, reaching to turn off the tap as she looked at their reflection in the mirror.

"Em, talk to me."

"I'm tired. I'm just...tired."

"You just have to make it another week and then..."

"And then what? Finals? That sounds relaxing."

"Hey, what is this?" Paige put her hands on Emily's arms, turning the girl to face her. "Emily, you're the strongest person I know."

Emily let out a huff. "Yeah, fearless, right?"

"No, that's not what being strong is. Strong is being afraid and doing what needs to be done anyway. Strong is holding hands with your girlfriend in the halls or coming out or dealing with losing someone you love. You're so strong, Em. Whatever it is, whatever _this_ is that's eating at you, it's time to stop. You have to let it go, get back to normal."

"What is normal? 'Cause I feel like this is it."

"It's not, I promise it's not. You just hit a rough patch, that's all. It happens to the best of us." Paige suddenly found her arms full of a sobbing Emily, leaning against the sink to support their weight. "Emily, ssshh, it's going to be okay. I... I saw you listening to Doctor Sullivan..."

"I went there after I left your place to talk about... things."

"That's why she was here this morning, there's someone in school bullying you." Paige tipped Emily's chin up to stare into her eyes, knowing she could tell if the girl was lying. Emily didn't speak, instead turning away from Paige's gaze. "Tell me who it is. Is it Ben?"

Emily shook her head. "No, aside from a few smart ass comments, I haven't even talked to Ben since we broke up."

"Tell me who you're worried about, I'll fix it." Paige might not be able to fix 'A' but anyone else was fair game.

"Paige, I can't. I just... I can't right now." Emily seemed near hysterics and Paige nodded her reluctant acceptance. She couldn't push right now but that wouldn't stop her from figuring out who it was on her own.

"You know you're not alone, right? If it meant you feeling safe here, I'd even team up with Hastings to set this person straight."

The comment at least earned a small smile from Emily. Standing toe to toe of each other, it wouldn't take more than Paige leaning over to reach Emily's lips. She wanted to. Desperately. Wanted to show Emily how much she cared. But it wasn't the right time.

With her teammate in such a precarious emotional state, it wasn't fair to put that kind of pressure on her. Instead she leaned forward, bypassing full lips to pull paper towel from the dispenser.

"Look up." Emily complied and Paige wiped gently at her eyes to fix the running mascara, brushing her thumb over Emily's temple in an unconscious effort to ground herself. Just being in Emily's presence made her feel calm, strong, like there was nothing she couldn't face. Emily was her strength when Paige had none and she would go to the end of the line to protect her. "Okay?"

Emily nodded, wrapping Paige in another hug while leaning their heads together. They remained that way until the bell rang, slowly breaking apart, Paige allowing Emily to precede her to class.

The rest of the day passed with relatively little issue -though Emily dominated her thoughts- and then it was time for the meet. As she stood on deck behind Chloe and the other relay girls, Paige turned to the stands, hoping to see a familiar face. She found two, Pru and Sean waving enthusiastically at her from their front row seats. She was grateful her friends had come to see her but the person she had truly hoped to see was nowhere to be found.

Paige refocused her disappointment on the pool, taking her place on the block. Vicky touched the edge and Paige was off, slicing through the water and quickly overtaking two of the others. The leader was just ahead of her as they reached the first edge, her stroke remarkably similar to Emily's. It made it easy enough to counter and Paige put the hammer down, her tight turn giving her the slightest of leads.

It was all she needed, the cheers of the crowd urging her on as she powered through, one stroke, two strokes, three strokes, breathe. She took the lead to an arm's length, digging deep to open the gap wider, slapping the edge triumphantly to the roar of the Rosewood crowd. Hauling her body out of the pool, Paige was greeted with the back slaps of her teammates, even Coach Morgan looking moderately pleased.

They were changed and debriefed faster than normal, their minimalist practise schedule kicking in the next week as they settled in to finals. The moment they were done, Paige pulled out her phone to text Emily about their win. She was surprised to already find a text asking about the results. She sent off a reply that immediately prompted a phone call. She hauled her bag onto her shoulder as she answered.

"Hey there, I just texted you."

"Yeah, I got it. Congratulations."

"It was easy. You would have smoked their starter, total amateur," Paige said as she walked the hallway, waving goodbye to her teammates.

"I wish I could have been there."

"Don't worry, we'll head to head them for state qualifiers, you'll get your chance at them."

"Fingers crossed."

"Toes too. Speaking of, how are you feeling? Do you need anything?"

"No, I'm okay. I'm actually at the Grill, I'm about to meet... a friend."

Paige didn't miss the way Emily tripped over the word friend, her heart dropping at what that might imply. She knew she shouldn't be surprised, Emily was a good looking girl whose inner package matched the wrapper. She had also proved that she didn't leave much time between relationships. She had skipped from Ben to Maya to her to Samara. As much as she wanted to know what was going on, she tamped down on the urge to ask. Chances were she would hear about it on Monday anyway. She would just pace herself into circles until then.

"Paige?"

"Huh? Sorry, trying to get my lock undone," she lied. "Have fun, remember to relax. I'll talk to you on Monday."

"Have a good weekend. I'll... I'll call you if I need anything?"

"You bet."

"Night, Paige."

"Night, Em."

She clicked off the phone, the desire to ride by the Grill almost overwhelming. She resisted, forcing herself to take the long way around town centre so she wouldn't be tempted to breach Emily's privacy. Truth was, it wasn't any of her damn business. That didn't stop her from cursing a blue streak at herself as she biked home. Her parents were lying on the couch together watching a movie, both looking up as she entered.

"We won," Paige lead with as her father turned his attention to her.

"How were your times?"

"Just shy of my PB," Paige said, expecting a light chide for missing her mark.

"Good job."

Paige looked at him, wondering if she should check under the couch for the pod that her father had come from. "Uh...thanks, Dad. What're you guys watching?"

"Morocco." Her mother's voice was wistful as she focused back on the black and white movie.

"Huh, cool tux." Paige didn't understand a word of what the woman was singing but her mom seemed to enjoy it.

"Pull up a seat, talk to me about how the new coach handled the meet." Paige sat in the recliner beside her father, tugging out the sheet of their times to hand to him. He skimmed the page, nodding as he went along. "None of the girls are in your league."

"No, not from anyone we saw today. The biggest competition will be Jessup and Philly, maybe Scranton if they pull up their socks. We should be sitting in a decent position for now but once we get into the second and third round for state finals, we're going to need Emily back."

"Even if she comes back, she won't be in the shape she was in when she left," her father warned.

"I know. I'm going to have her come to the public pool for practice to get her back in the water."

"That sounds reasonable." The mention of Emily still made him somewhat uncomfortable, Paige could see it in the tense way he held his body. Despite that, he kept his cool front, obviously trying to make an effort.

"Anyway, I'm going to get ready for tomorrow, Sean and I want to check out the new boxing gym."

"Be careful, you don't need any concussions. No serious contact until after the season is over."

"Don't worry, I'm not interested in getting my butt kicked either." He smiled at her, accepting the one armed hug Paige gave him as she passed. "Night, Dad."

"Night, Paige."

She leaned over to get her usual kiss from her Mom who sent Paige on her way with a pat on the butt. A long soak in the hot tub to loosen her muscles, a quick shower to rinse her body and she was sliding into bed, textbook propped on her legs as the TV played softly in the background. She fell asleep that way, waking only when the trill of her phone pulled her from sleep the next morning.

"Huh, wh...? Sean?" She rested the phone on her pillow, eyes closed as she struggled to get her brain moving.

"Hey, I'm outside. You up yet?"

"Yeah, come inside, I'll be up in ten."

"I don't want to wake up your parents."

"Mom'll already be cooking..." His answer went unheard as the phone slid to the floor, her body demanding five more minutes of sleep. Not to be. A sharp rap on the upstairs door signalled her father was up and she was meant to be as well. She grudgingly rolled out of bed, pulling her hair back into a ponytail before changing into workout gear. By the time she was presentable and up the stairs, Sean was already at the kitchen table, shanghaied into breakfast by her mother. Paige had figured as much, hoping it would buy her the time she needed to get some oatmeal into her stomach.

"Morning."

"Morning." Sean couldn't have looked more cheerful if he tried as Paige's mom served bowls of thhick, hot oatmeal, leaving out fresh fruit and honey to mix in. Her father was at the table as well, reading his newspaper.

"Hey, Dad."

"Morning, lazy bones. Late start today, or was that your mother's plan to make sure Sean stayed for breakfast?"

"It's delicious." Sean spoke, cheeks like a chipmunk as he raised a fruit and oat filled spoon to his mouth.

"Would you please swallow before you choke to death on a strawberry?"

Sean grinned at her, shovelling in another spoonful. The four of them ate companionably, Sean putting away more oatmeal than Paige thought was physically possible. Or advisable.

"You're not going to throw that up on me later, are you?"

"Don't aim for my gut and you should be safe."

Paige smirked, finishing off the last of her shake as she stood. "We should get going, I promised Pru you'd be ready to play by noon."

"She wants me to take her shopping." Sean's tone indicated it wasn't his favourite idea of spending time together but was willing to take hits where needed.

"Better you than me. Bye, Mom." Paige kissed her mom on the cheek. "Bye, Dad." She kissed him on the cheek as well, determined to keep their recovering relationship on the right track.

"Be careful."

"We will. Cheap shots'll hurt him a lot more than they'll hurt me," Paige said, earning a smile from her father that warmed her more than she expected. She had grown so used to the distance between them that she had forgotten what it was like when they weren't in a perpetual standoff. It felt good.

The drive to the gym was a short one, Sean looking dubiously at the outdoor iron stairway that led to the second storey, a generic 'Grand Opening' sign hanging over the door.

"Never judge a book by its cover, right?" Paige asked. "C'mon, we drove over here, the least we can do is check it out."

The gym was surprisingly nice inside, given the outer facade. The front desk was sparse but functional, the hardwood floors recently redone if the smell of varnish was anything to go by. The facility seemed to take up most of the second floor, divided into three sections. The first section showcased wood floors in front of six foot mirrors, dance bars and yoga mats promising it was a multipurpose area. Next was a small weight and cardio area, heavy duty mats protecting the floor. The last section furthest from the door was laid out with punching bags and the boxing ring. A set of twelve bags hung from sturdy cross beams, a small section of floor left open for whatever else they taught.

They took a quick tour, the trainer at the desk showcasing the features, including showers and lockers before ending with a breakdown of the price. It was reasonable enough since they were students and they both decided they would join, Sean having outgrown the small backyard gym he had been practicing at. The paperwork was relatively painless and Paige went to toss her stuff in a locker while they waited for their first class of the day to start.

"Hey, want to warm up on the heavy bag?"

Nodding, Paige took first turn holding the bag, bracing herself against it. She grunted at the onslaught of powerful punches, driving all her weight into the bag to hold it steady as Sean pummelled it. When he had warmed his arms, he turned to his legs, roundhouse kicking at the heavy bag.

"So, I ran into Hannah this morning at the coffee shop. Have you heard about Emily?"

"What? No. What about her? Is she okay?"

"Better than okay, I'd bet. Maya's back."

Paige's surprised disbelief forced her from her stable crouch just as Sean launched a well placed sidekick into the heavy bag, a hundred pounds of weight hitting her unexpectedly in the gut. Her ass met the mat with an indelicate thud, the unpleasant sensation paling in comparison to the pain she felt at the news.

Maya was back.

"Geeze! Paige, you okay?" Sean knelt beside her, concern evident as he checked for injury.

"I'm fine." She waved him off, embarrassed by her own idiocy. "Didn't you tell me the heavy bag didn't hit back?"

"First time for everything?" he asked with a sheepish smile. "What'd I say? Do you know Maya?"

"No. Yes. Kinda, in passing."

"That makes things clearer."

Paige pursed her lips, before finally just letting it out. "I saw Emily."

"Well, yeah, she's on your team, I imagine you see her a lot."

Paige sighed, wondering how far to take it. She was tired of hiding, tired of wondering whether the people she was with were safe. She wasn't interested in filling her life with friends who wouldn't support her. She liked Sean, he was a good guy, he was religious but he didn't seem to hold anything against Emily. She needed to tell him.

"No, I mean, I _saw _Emily." Staring at him, she waited for recognition to dawn. She saw the light go on, blue eyes widening at the admission.

"Uh, oh. You mean..."

"I mean." She confirmed with a nod.

"Huh, so you, uh, you really do play for the same team," he said, laughing at his own joke.

Paige punched him the stomach, glove rebounding off of solid abs. "You're a jerk."

"Sorry, sorry. Seriously though, you and Em?"

"Yeah, for a bit anyway."

"Was it... was that..."

"Yeah, when you and I met. I'm sorry I didn't tell you then, I wanted to. I just..."

"It's okay. I understand. Does Pru know?"

"She does, but she and my parents are pretty much it. I'd appreciate it if it stayed that way." She didn't need to create trouble for anyone, herself included. She wasn't going to lie but she wasn't going to go around offering the truth up to every person who walked past her, either.

"Of course. Can I ask what happened? I mean, you and Emily seem like you'd be a great match."

"I messed up."

"Beyond repair?"

"I didn't think so, not until Maya walked back onto the playing field."

"Maybe you should talk to her anyway, Emily deserves to have all the information before she makes her choice."

"Yeah, maybe." Their conversation was brought to an end by the instructor calling them to order, Sean giving her a light punch in the arm.

"It'll work out, you'll see. If not with Em, then someone else. You're a catch, when you're not beating people up."

"Oh, ha, ha, Ackard. You're so funny."

"I'm flat out hilarious, I'm thinking of taking my act on the road."

"Good, take it far, far away."

Three hours later, Sean dropped her off at her house, sore but invigorated. Paige walked into the kitchen to say hello to her mom who was already elbow deep in mashed potatoes.

"Do you need any help?"

"That'd be nice, Honey. Anna usually does Sundays but she's ill so I have to double up on today's recipes. I'll make the hot food fresh tomorrow but if you want to help, I could use those muscles of yours to knead some dough."

"Sure thing." Making quick work of tying her hair back, Paige threw on her apron. Hands washed and she was ready to go, taking the aim at the mound of dough on the counter.

"Talk to me. You've barely been home in the last three weeks, what's going on? Anything new?"

"Nothing more than the new coach, I guess." Paige shrugged. There hadn't really been any developments on that front. She and Morgan were destined to lock horns, most likely over her treatment of the freshmen or Emily's return. She just wasn't sure which would be first.

"How about Emily? Your father mentioned he saw her this week and she was looking tired."

"She's under a lot of stress. Coach Morgan won't let her come to practice and I think she's missing her parents too."

"It's a shame, all that trouble so she could stay to swim and then..."

"Yeah, I know." Paige felt horrible for her part in that, certain the stress of the fake Danby scholarship had been a factor in putting Emily out of commission.

"And..."

"And what?" Paige asked.

"How are..." her mother paused, "how are you and Emily doing?"

Paige stopped mid knead, surprised her mother had worked up the gumption to ask such a direct question.

"We... aren't a 'we'." Paige admitted. "Not anymore. I messed it up."

"What happened?"

"Emily wanted me to be open, to be... myself. She didn't want to have to hide. I didn't see any other way." In the end, that's what it had come down to. Paige hadn't hadn't been ready to abandon safety for truth.

"That's changed now."

"Yeah, it has. Doesn't matter though, Maya's back."

"Who's Maya?"

"Emily's old girlfriend, I don't really stand a chance."

"Paige, if you... if you love her, you should fight for her."

"I can't, not now. Emily is going through enough and I'm finally getting back on stable ground with Dad. And then there's looking after the team and everything with Coach Morgan. Finals." Paige turned back to her task, taking out her frustrations on the dough. Her mother hugged her from behind and Paige leaned into her, soaking in the comfort.

"If you always wait for the perfect moment, your whole life will pass you by." A final squeeze and her mother let the topic drop. "That's ready, toss it in the pans and let's get cooking!"


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer:** Who has two thumbs and doesn't own the rights to these characters? This gal!

**Author's Notes:** Thanks for the fic recommendations, I shall happily plow through.

This chapter contains spoilers up to Season 2, Episode 12, "Salt Meets Wound".

Please, don't forget to tip your bards. If you take the time to read, do us authors a solid and take the extra second to review.

Thank you, everyone, for the faves/follows and reviews. Much appreciated! Comments and constructive criticisms are always welcome.

Enjoy!

**Secondary Note:** I've created an eBook style PDF, complete with cover, for 'Season 1' of 'Seven For A Secret'. Season one includes chapters one through fourteen, inclusive. If you'd like to have a copy, leave it in the reviews or PM me and I'll get you hooked up.

"Why am I here, Pru?"

"It's a shopping mall, ergo we are here to shop."

"Ergo? Since when did you start using your big girl words?" Paige shook her head at the top Pru held up, the floral pattern a better match for a couch than a blouse.

"Just because I don't try to sound like a walking dictionary doesn't mean I'm not listening in class. How about these?"

"For you? Isn't it a little... butch?"

"That's because they're for you, not me. Here." Pru shoved the plaid capris pants into Paige's hands before zeroing in on the rack of suspenders.

"I thought you dragged Sean shopping yesterday. Haven't you inflicted enough torture for one weekend?"

"The shopping is just the excuse, what I really want to hear about is the Emily situation. Here, take these too." A set of thin leather suspenders was dropped on top of the capris.

"What situation? There's no situation, Maya's back in town."

"Which means you have to move fast, yes? Before they go all OTP again." Pru pulled two t-shirts from the rack and piled them over the pants.

"Wha..? What the hell is an OTP and what in the history of our friendship makes you think that my making a move now is a good idea?"

"One true pairing? Destined to be. Fated by the gods. You know, like that leather chick and her blonde friend that you used to be all girl crush over."

"Hey." Paige pointed at Pru. "Back up off my Xena, that's my childhood you're traipsing over."

"Whatever, here, these boots too. You can be all leather, like your precious warrior princess." A set of knee high, front lacing, brown leather boots were tossed on top. Paige followed docilely behind her friend, there was no escape at this point.

"I just don't think it's a good idea to start barging in on her relationship. I'll end up coming off clingy, or worse, jealous and desperate. That's not exactly Emily's type."

"Or maybe you'll come off as a brassy, take charge kind of girl, which is her type. Don't be such a chicken. Now, go change."

Knowing resistance was futile, she ducked into a change room, stripping out of the simple tank top and jeans combo. Her cellphone beeped and she flipped it open, mouth tightening at the text.

**You might be able to break up with Emily but not with me.-A**

It was the third of such messages since yesterday afternoon. 'A' had contacted her shortly after she started cooking with her mother, the first text a dig at Maya's return. The next had been orders to read her email, which she hadn't, deleting the message and blocking the sender. Evidently 'A' was feeling neglected. Paige didn't care, she turned off her phone, showing it into her purse.

She was done. She was out to her parents, if necessary, she'd deal with the fallout of the Danby fiasco. Emily was off the team and Paige would reason her involvement for what it was, an attempt to keep her friend swimming for Rosewood. She was willing to pay for the things she had done if it meant freeing herself from 'A's grasp.

She tugged on the clothes, stepping out for Pru to inspect and earning a thumbs up.

"Perfect, c'mon, we only have a couple of hours before I'm supposed to meet Sean at the movies and we need to get you at least three more outfits."

"I don't suppose you trust me enough to let me pick out my own clothes?"

"Not on your life, McCullers, hop to it."

Three hours later, having shopped very near to the point of dropping, Paige reclined on her sofa. She had just settled in to a comfortable spot, textbook propped on her knees, when her mother called down.

"Paige?"

"Yeah, Mom?"

"I need a hand."

Giving up the idea that she was going to get any work done this weekend, she walked upstairs only to be greeted by the sight of her mother hauling pots of food to the door.

"What's up?"

"I have to wait for Alex to come collect the food for the soup kitchen. Your father needs these." She held up a sheaf of papers. Paige took the papers and the offered car keys.

"Church or office?" She asked, tugging on a hoodie and her new boots before she headed for the door.

"Office. Thanks, Honey."

"No problem." It was a quick drive to her father's office, taking Paige just to the edge of downtown Rosewood. Parking was scarce, the Church across from The Brew bustling with people. Paige vaguely recalled Emily mentioning that Hannah's dad was getting remarried this weekend. She fought the urge to sigh, wishing she had the chance to see Emily in her dress. Emily looked good in whatever she was wearing, but the few times Paige had seen her in something other than jeans or warm-ups had nearly left her heart stopped. Oh well. There was always Facebook.

Slipping out of the car, Paige walked into her father's office, holding up the sheaf of papers in greeting.

"Oh good." His relief seemed a little over the top and Paige idly wondered what kind of paperwork she was holding. Meh. "Thanks. Your mother getting the meals ready?"

"Yeah, I think Alex is running behind schedule today."

"That boy needs to learn how to take his responsibilities seriously."

The complaint was a familiar one and Paige simply nodded, knowing no response was required on her part. Her phone buzzed and she tapped the screen to check the text as her father shuffled through the stack of papers she had given him.

Damn.

"Is that everything you need, Dad?"

"That's fine, Paige. I'll see you at home." He waved her off without actually looking at her, attention already back on his work as he walked to his desk. Dismissed, Paige made her way back to the car, picking her path through the litany of well dressed wedding attendees. She slid into the driver seat, turning over the engine before she noticed she wasn't alone. To her credit, Paige didn't scream, though she was certain her startled jump nearly put her head through the roof.

"Because that's what I needed, more Chucky nightmares." Thoroughly creeped out by the porcelain doll that was occupying her backseat, Paige threw the car into park. A reach back and she had hold of the toy, pulling into the front seat. Her inspection showed nothing out of the ordinary, save a pull string in the back of the neck. "You're a creepy bitch, you know that?"

A tug on the string and the doll began to speak, its high pitched saccharine voice doing nothing to endear it to Paige. Nor did its message. "Drive."

Paige raised an eyebrow at the instruction, eyes flicking to her GPS. She clicked on the screen, pulling up the last address, some random point that was arguably in the middle of God's good nowhere.

She didn't have to do this anymore. Play 'A's game. She was out. 'A' had nothing left to taunt her with. The Danby letter, Ali's fashion show, it wasn't worth keeping them under wraps if it meant being pulled back into the 'A' game.

The doll stared at her, the blue and white colours of its necklace unfortunately familiar. Unclasping the bracelet from the doll's neck, Paige knew what it was before she was able to fully read Emily's name. Damn it.

Paige dropped her head against the steering wheel, a heavy sigh leaving her lungs. 'A' had to be kidding. She had finally gotten out from under their thumb, the dust had barely settled on her coming out and now this. The bitch really did know how to wield a knife.

Flipping on her turning signal, Paige pulled on to the road that would lead her to whatever 'A' had planned. It was a good hour out of Rosewood, densely packed neighbourhoods giving way to fields and farmhouses. When the final turn off was a mile ahead Paige pulled to the shoulder of the road, to contemplate her next move. As much as she wanted to help Emily, it was probably better to have a plan other than 'rush in, get killed'.

Paige reached under the passenger seat, pulling out her mother's book of road maps. It had taken the better part of a year to teach her mom how to properly use the GPS and the directionally challenged still wasn't comfortable with the technology. Small graces.

Cross checking her location with her destination, Paige found a county road just ahead that ran parallel to wherever 'A' was sending her. It wasn't much, but it might buy her some kind of element of surprise.

Paige flipped off the GPS' voice to silence her nagging and turned off the main highway. The farming road was little more than sparsely gravelled dirt ruts, the occasional crunch making Paige wince as the car bottomed out on the rough terrain.

When the locator on the screen indicated she was across from her destination, Paige rolled to a stop and shut down the engine. Flicking on her hazards, Paige scanned the area, forest to her left, farming fields to her right. Whatever 'A' was up to would have her hiking through the trees. Perfect.

"Nothing like a casual stroll through the Forbidden Forest while hunting a psychopath who's threatening my ex-girlfriend. I remember normalcy. Vaguely."

A quick push and she was out of the car, circling to the back to check the trunk for anything she might be able to use as a weapon. The best she managed was a tire iron, gripping it tightly as she headed into the woods. It was a relatively steep decline, Paige forced to pick her way carefully down so she didn't go ass over tea kettle to the bottom. Twenty minutes saw her in view of the address 'A' had given her, the woods abruptly ending. She knew she had made it when she caught sight of Emily's car, parked outside a large barn that ate up a good section of a clearing.

Pulling out her cell phone, Paige held it up to check the signal. A few bars, maybe enough for a phone call, if she could get near some metal. She shoved it into her pocket, moving carefully through the last of the trees. She had no idea what she was supposed to be doing or what the hell she was going to tell Emily when she showed up. That was something she would have to figure out on the fly. Descending the small hill, Paige kept her eyes open for anything out of the ordinary.

She sprinted across the clearing, a check of Emily's car yielding nothing. It was unlocked and Paige reached in to pop the trunk, steeling herself for whatever she might find. It was a wasted effort, the trunk holding only Emily's gear bag, a spare tire and questionable bag lunch. She closed the trunk, slowly scanning the clearing for what might out of the ordinary. Only the barn was left.

"And the winner for this week's 'Too Stupid To Live' award goes to…" Paige gripped the tire iron, holding it to her shoulder like a bat as she approached the barn, ignoring every bit of common sense that screamed at her to run. This far out of Rosewood, it would take too long for the cops to get to them. If Emily was in trouble, Paige was the only one on deck to help her.

The barn door was padlocked and Paige gave it a cursory tug to make sure it wasn't dummy locked. Going for broke, she put her ear up against the door, surprised to hear the gentle thrum of a car engine. Who the hell left a car running in an enclosed area? Unless… oh, no.

"Em? Emily?" Paige pulled on the door, throwing her shoulder against it to get it to budge. "Em! Can you hear me?" No response. If fresh air wasn't getting in and the car was running, there was no telling what kind of condition her friend was in.

"Emily!" Paige tugged violently on the handle, padlock holding the door fast. "Shit." She drove her shoulder into it again, neither the door nor the hinges courteous enough to give way. "Screw this." Shimmying the tire iron into the 'U' of the lock, Paige braced against the door. A sharp tug, bolstered by her weight, snapped the pins holding the lock in place. She tossed the tire iron to the side, pulling the lock off before grabbing hold of the door to slide it open.

The sunlight behind her streamed into the barn, lighting up the form of a passed out Emily, the stench of exhaust threatening to make Paige's stomach revolt. The toxic air instantly made her eyes water, obscuring her vision as she went to her friend. She held her breath as she knelt down, brown leather boots digging into the dirt as she wrapped her arms under Emily's and pulled her free. They were quickly clear of the worst of the exhaust, Paige breathing deeply of the fresh air to clear her lungs of poison.

"Please be alive, please be alive." Paige laid Emily down, too full of panic to properly find her pulse. Instead she rested her head over Emily's heart, listening for a beat as she watched for the rise and fall of her friend's chest. It was shallow, her heart beating more sluggishly than Paige thought was normal. She had taken first aid before she had no idea if artificial breathing would help at this point. Maybe if she forced clean air into Emily's lungs, it would help get the carbon monoxide out. Tipping Emily's chin up gently, Paige pinched her nose, forcing a breath into Emily's lungs as she inhaled. She breathed in tandem with Emily until she was near dizzy herself, her friend finally beginning to stir.

Emily didn't seem to be conscious but she was breathing more ably on her own and Paige sat down, propping Emily's head on her legs as she fumbled with her cell phone to call 911. She had no idea how she was going to explain anything that had happened but getting Emily to an ambulance took priority over everything. She would figure out what lies to tell later. Her fingers were on the 'send' button when the sound of an approaching car stole her attention, eyes focused on the driver. She knew that SUV and that scowl, Hastings. Shit.

Crouched next to an unconscious Emily who had been locked in a barn and left to die of asphyxia, not exactly the best place to be. Hastings would rip her throat out before Paige had a chance to explain.

"Ali?"

Paige looked down, Emily's eyes slowly moving beneath her lids as the girl began to stir in earnest. "Sshh, Em. It's going to be okay."

There was no way to explain this, no way to tell Hastings that she'd gotten Emily kidnapped for her obstinence. Emily had no doubt called Hastings for help and the cavalry was just late to the party. Damn, damn, damn. She still had a chance, between the brush and the barn, Hastings wouldn't have a good line of sight on her yet.

Paige tugged her hood over her head, dropping a kiss to Emily's lips, along with a whispered apology. She sprinted, low to the ground, grabbing the tire iron as she passed. The line of sight between her and the SUV was momentarily broken as it around the curve. She took the opportunity, sprinting flat out for the tree line and ducking into forest. She kept going, hauling ass up to the hill until her legs and lungs burned from the exertion. When she was comfortable she wouldn't be seen, she looked down, the girls surrounding Emily who had begun to sit up.

Emily was all right and with Hastings at her side, it wasn't any better than Paige could do. Nodding to herself, she kept moving, headed for her car. Sweaty, angry, and more than a little terrified, she flung open the driver side door and dropped into the seat. A quick check of the rearview let her see the empty seat behind her.

No doll.

Her phone vibrated and she flipped it open, unsurprised by the sender.

**Can't con a con.-A**

A second message beeped revealing a photo of Paige dragging an unresponsive Emily from the barn.

Son of a bitch.

Paige grabbed the wheel, knuckles whitening as the reality set in. There was no escape from this. 'A' had intentionally put Emily in danger to drag Paige back into their web. She took a deep breath, two, a third before her tenuous hold of her temper fractured completely and struck at the steering wheel until her hands were nearly numb.

Tantrum complete, Paige calmly flipped off the hazard lightss and threw the car in reverse, backing easily down the gravel road to the main highway.

She was back on the highway for nearly ten minutes when a string of cop cars sailed past her, lights flashing as they headed in the direction of the barn. At least proper help was finally on the way, Paige could relax somewhat.

'A' had sent her to Emily, Paige had no doubt she'd thrown a wrench in their plans by not driving straight to the barn. She would have been cornered there with her car, Hastings bearing down on her. That would have been a bloody mess. Literally.

Failing a full on Hastings vs McCullers, Clash of the Titans, 'A' had still managed to get enough leverage on her to keep Paige dancing to their tune.

The drive home was filled with self recrimination, her attempt to free herself from 'A's game had gotten Emily hurt. There seemed to be no limit to the lengths 'A' would go to keep her under control.

The sky had darkened by the time she pulled up the driveway, almost three hours after being sent on her small errand. Her mother was dozing on the couch, her father evidently still at his office.

"Where'd you end up today?" her mother asked, pushing herself sleepily from the couch as Paige closed the door.

"I took the papers over to Dad and then I just went for a drive, it was really nice out. I'm sorry I didn't call."

"S'okay, Honey. If I'd been worried, I would have called."

"I filled up the car and topped up the oil, you're supposed to do that on occasion, you know. I could barely see it on the dipstick."

"That's why I have you and your father," her mother reasoned, tossing her blanket from her legs to stand. "You hungry?"

"Starved but I'm going to grab a quick shower first."

"All that driving get you grimy?"

"Yeah, something like that." Paige went downstairs, turning on the shower to its hottest setting, hoping to wash away the entire atrocious day. Emily had nearly been killed. 'A' wasn't running girls off their bikes or threatening to out people anymore, this was getting serious. Paige was certain 'A' had meant for her to save Emily. That the whole damn thing had just been one bait after another to prove to Paige that -no matter how she tried- 'A' wasn't loosening their grip. But so many things could have gone wrong.

What if Paige hadn't gone? What if her car had broken down or she hadn't found a way in? The thought gave her chills. She wanted to text Emily and make sure she was still all right but doing that would raise more questions than it answered. She had no idea what Emily knew. Had she heard Paige calling? Had she recognized her voice at all, begging Emily to come back? It was impossible to tell.

Pushing the thoughts down, knowing they would haunt her well enough at night, Paige stepped out of the shower. Calling upon her best game face, she went upstairs to supper, she and her mother eating on the couch in a rare show of casual dining. It was nearly eleven when her father returned home, looking weary from a long day.

Her mother got up to get him a plate of food and Paige shifted over on the couch to make room. He patted her knee as he sat. Paige switching over to the channel that would play the local eleven o'clock news. He was mid meal when the headline showed up, footage from a helicopter camera shining down on Emily and her friends in the woods, the girls covered in dirt, holding a shovel. The anchor mentioned something about the girls being held by police for evidence tampering in the DiLaurentis murder, charges would be pending.

What the hell had happened after she left?

"If it's not one thing with those girls, it's another."

"Dad..."

"Paige, I don't want to hear it. I understand she's your friend, I can even understand why. But you can't deny that there's something those girls are into that they're not sharing."

"I... yeah," Paige admitted reluctantly. "Yeah, I think there is. Am... am I banned from talking to her, again?"

He heaved out a sigh, his eyes finding her mother who seemed equally torn. It was no longer about Emily being gay, it was about her being in the police spotlight twice in as many months. Things with Ian Thomas had been cleared up with his confession but it didn't alter the fact that no matter how the foursome tried, they were always smack dab in the middle of trouble.

"You're well raised, I trust your judgement." Her father led with. "_We_ trust your judgement. I don't like it, I don't think she's a good influence, but I won't tell you not to see her. For now."

That was reasonable. All things considered, it was the best she could have hoped for.

In the end, it didn't matter, Paige barely saw Emily. Finals started just after their arrest, news of the girls community service making its way quickly through the high school grapevine. Rather than accompany the Sharks to their Rosewood Public practice, Emily had been forced to pick up garbage on the side of the road, clean graffiti, whatever crap job the town wanted of them.

With morning practice, studying for finals and organizing team sessions -whether with Keith or just the Sharks- it had taken most of Paige's spare time. She had texted of course, to make sure Emily was alright after everything had hit the news. The short phone call that followed led Paige to believe that Emily had no recollection of her being at the barn, a welcome lucky break.

It was the last of anything more than cursory contact over the next month. After finals, courses had switched and Paige found all her classes woefully devoid of Emily. She had even managed to piss of her karmic gods enough to land three classes with Hastings. By the end of most days, she had a headache from glaring at the girl across the room. Rumours were Hastings, Aria and Hannah had split from Emily, ostracizing her from the group.

Two weeks after the new semester, she finally bumped into Emily, nearly running the poor girl over in the washroom. Pru was beside her, her friend making an immediate about turn to head out of the bathroom.

"What was that about?"

"I have no idea, she's a weird chick sometimes." Paige rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I'm glad I finally caught up to you. I've barely seen you since before finals."

"Come to get your picture taken with the convict?" Emily asked, her tone sarcastic.

"Hey, c'mon now. You know me better than that." Paige leaned against the counter. "I'd at least wait until you're in your little orange jumpsuit."

Emily let out an unexpected laugh at the admittedly lame joke. "Thanks, Paige. That felt good."

"No problem. Can you tell me why the others are treating you like you're contagious or is that information enough to kill me for?"

"I guess they blame me for the whole thing, I'm the one that led us there with that stupid text saying Dr. Sullivan was in the woods."

Paige wanted to confess, tell Emily that it was her fault. That she had gotten that fake text about Dr. Sullivan and been trapped in the barn because Paige had tried to assert her independence. But she couldn't risk it. What if she told Emily and 'A' decided that one or both of them were too much risk to be left out in the open?

"That sucks, Em. But it'll pass, you guys are tight. It'll just take time."

"I don't think so, this is different. Spencer was already a person of interest and now I've thrown us all back on the police radar."

"You didn't do anything wrong. You didn't hurt Alison."

"Why do you believe that and the police don't?"

"Because I know you," Paige said, taking Emily's hand. "I know what you're capable of, you couldn't kill someone. Not someone you cared for as much as you cared about Ali. They'll figure it out."

"Yeah, maybe." Emily pulled her hand away, looking uneasy.

"Oh, uh, I'm sorry. I didn't meant to make you uncomfortable." Paige tucked her hands in her pockets to keep better track of them.

"No, it's okay. It's just..."

"Maya's back."

Emily looked at her, obviously surprised that Paige was aware of Maya's return. Paige found that odd, it was Rosewood, not Philly. People couldn't sneeze in this town without a whole neighbourhood catching cold.

"Sean got it from Hannah, I got it from Sean. I've known for awhile. I wanted to say... I wanted to tell you… I'm happy for you." Paige hoped God didn't strike her dead for such a blatant lie. "I was going to talk to you earlier but then all that… stuff happened and I didn't want to add to the stress level."

"I'm sorry, Paige."

"For what? For having the guts to go out and get what you want? Don't apologize for that, Em. Not ever. I'm a big girl, I can take it."

"I should have told you myself, though. You shouldn't have had to hear it from someone else."

"A heads up would have been nice but you don't owe me anything. I'm over it. Promise." The bell rang and Paige hitched her bag on her shoulder. "Any news on your stomach?"

"Nothing yet. I go in for a test next week to see what's going on. I've been feeling pretty good lately and I even managed a few workouts from Hannah's bootycamp DVDs."

"Hannah has home workout videos?" Paige raised an eyebrow.

"From the way they look, I think she mostly uses them as coasters. Anyway, keep your fingers crossed for me."

"Toes too," Paige promised. "Let me know if you want a training buddy when you're ready to get back in the water, I need some competition."

"I will."

Paige left her friend to complete her routine and pushed open the bathroom door, unsurprised when she nearly whacked Pru in the chest with it. "Could you be more obvious?"

"I could have stayed in there with you," Pru said as they walked toward class.

"I wouldn't put it past you."

"So… she's still kicking it with Maya?"

"Yep." Paige pursed her lips, something in her unhappy frown telling Pru the conclusion she had come to.

"You're thinking it's time to call it a day."

"Yep." "A' making Emily a target was her only concern. Samara she could have handled, if nothing else, Paige would have waited that relationship out. But Maya, Emily's first, the golden girl.

Paige couldn't beat that hand. She'd have to fold.


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer**: Who has two thumbs and doesn't own the rights to these characters? This gal!

**Author's Notes:** This chapter contains spoilers up to Season 2, Episode 14, "Through Many Dangers, Toils and Snares". Song lyrics borrowed from 'Trouble' by KC.

Please, don't forget to tip your bards. If you take the time to read, do us authors a solid and take the extra second to review.

Thank you, everyone, for the faves/follows and reviews. Much appreciated! Comments and constructive criticisms are always welcome.

Enjoy!

**Secondary Note:** I've created an eBook style PDF, complete with cover, for 'Season 1' of 'Seven For A Secret'. Season one includes chapters one through fourteen, inclusive. If you'd like to have a copy, head on over to **www dot teriasmcklay dot com** to download it.

**888**

Her alarm went off, blaring the local music station at an obscene volume to ensure Paige wouldn't be in any danger of falling back to sleep. Grudgingly, she opened one eye to check the time, letting out a mild curse when she realized she'd set it an hour later than she wanted. Sean would be here any minute. Tossing the covers back with one violent swipe of her arm, she was up and on the move, singing along to the radio as she scoured her closet for her gear.

_I think I'm in trouble, I'm in trouble again,_

_I've been a bad, bad girl and it's always the same._

Tugging on her workout pants and tank top, Paige jumped on one foot, pulling on her shoes as she hopped out of her room. She headed for the stairs, sliding around the banister and wrangling herself into her hoodie as she sprinted up to the main level.

Her mom met her at the top of the steps, offering two protein shakes as Paige passed on her way to the door.

"You're late," her father offered, holding up her duffel bag so Paige could slide into the strap.

"I know, I know, I'll see you at church though."

Sean pulled up to the bottom of the driveway just as she opened the door and she was on the move once more, sliding into the car seat and trading coffee for a protein shake as he threw the car into gear.

"Boxing or bootcamp?" he asked, leaving Paige to fiddle with the stereo as he drove. They took the short way, cutting through the park itself rather than around it to get to the gym.

"Both. I only did two hours in the pool yesterday."

"You're going to be the death of me."

"You'll thank me later. Pru likes her guys with stamina." Finally finding the right station, she cranked it, grinning at Sean as she tested the limits of his sound system.

_I'm like a wild, wild child_

_That you just couldn't tame_

Paige looked out the window, eyes widening at the orange jumpsuits. "Hey, isn't that..."

"Yup." Sean slowed for the work crew, the foursome unmistakeable in their community service garb. Her gaze zeroed in on Emily who was in the midst of an argument with Hastings before she walked away. Hastings took the opportunity to launch her garbage bag at Em, the response immediate as Emily turned and threw herself at her friend.

"Did you see that?!"

The guards were quick to tear them apart, a struggling Hastings pushing at whoever was audacious enough to hold her back. Like a proper Hastings, she went after Emily again, a panicked Aria trying to hold them apart and maintain peace.

"Geeze, I never thought I'd see that," Sean said, returning his attention the road.

"Yeah... me either."

_I'm so cold hearted, like ice water running through my veins,_

_I'm in trouble, I did a very bad thing._

**888**

Paige readjusted her ponytail in her locker mirror, frowning at the way her bangs refused to cooperate. Why the hell she had let Pru talk her into growing the damn things out again, she had no idea.

"Oh, stop, you're beautiful. If I were a lady lovin' lady, I'd totally hit that."

"Moving on from extreme awkward." Paige closed her locker, eyebrow raised at an abnormally chipper Pru. "What's got you in such a good mood on a Wednesday morning?"

"Good night out with Sean." It was all the detail Pru would offer. Odd, considering Paige was privy to more than some of Pru's intimate moments. Whether she wanted to be or not.

"Coffee before class?"

"Uh, sure. Just give me a second."

"Why? Oh, surprise." Pru followed Paige's gaze to where Emily stood talking with Coach Morgan. "Seriously, you're still on that crazy train? I thought you'd come to your senses."

"Let it go, Pru."

"You let it go, Paige. She's playing you."

"She's not, playing me. We're friends. More importantly, we're team mates. I need to know what's up. I'll meet you in the cafeteria."

She pointedly ignored Pru's headshake, making her way past her friend and over to what appeared to be a disgruntled Emily. "That's not the face of a happy camper. Bad news from the doctor?"

"Good news. I'm cleared to swim, physically I'm perfect."

Paige bit down on the urge to say 'fucking duh'. "But…"

"But Coach Morgan isn't going to let me back on the team."

"What?!" All eyes turned to them, Paige pulling out the glare she usually reserved for Hastings to send them scurrying back to their own conversations. Grabbing Emily's arm, she tugged her into an empty classroom. "What do you mean she won't let you back?"

"Being on a team is a privilege, not a right. My being arrested, the community service, apparently it all reflects poorly on the school."

"That's bullshit! I know football players with DUIs who are still on the field."

"Go ask them what their secret is because Morgan isn't giving it up."

"Damn it." Paige sat on the desktop, knowing whatever platitudes she offered weren't likely to be well received. "Aside from this, how are you doing?"

"I'm fine." Emily's shoulder shrug indicated that was anything but the case.

"Really? The girls are freezing you out, Hastings took a swing at you on the weekend but you're 'fine'?"

Emily looked down, a frown colouring her features. "You saw that?"

"Em, I could have sold tickets to that. What is going on?"

"Spencer is being... Spencer."

"An unmitigated jackass?"

Emily didn't answer though the comment did earn the ghost of a smile.

"Look, I know this is more... Maya's territory now but if you need anything, let me know."

"I need back on the swim team."

"I'm going to work on that. Promise."

Emily nodded and Paige made her way to the door. "And for the record, next time you two have a throw down, I'd totally put my bet on you."

"Even without a knife?" Emily asked, a true smile coming to her face.

"Even with a knife." Giving a final wave, Paige left the room. She passed Hanna and Aria on her way to the cafeteria, staring coldly at the pair as they walked by. She was nearly to the cafeteria when she saw Spencer duck into the locker room, gym bag slung over her shoulder.

Finally, a problem she could solve.

Paige followed Spencer in, the other girl turning at the sound of her footsteps. Acting quickly, Paige used the strap of Hastings' bag to whip her against the locker, a painful thud echoing off concrete walls. She braced her forearm across Spencer's shoulders and arms, using her body weight to hold the thinner girl in place.

"Listen up, Hastings, I'm only going to say this once. I don't know what the hell is wrong with you guys, why you all blame Emily for what happened. That's not my business, you sort it out yourselves. But if you touch Em again, you and me are going to have that go around we've been fixing on for years."

"You have no idea what's going on, McCullers. You need to stay the hell out of my business."

"Emily is my friend, she is my business. If we have to have this conversation again, it won't be just talk." With that, she pushed off Spencer, leaving the girl to stare after her as walked away.

Pru already had their coffees, standing impatiently at the front of the cafeteria. "C'mon, Cyrano, we're going to be late."

Paige followed Pru to class, mind barely on her studies as she tried to work out why Morgan would keep Emily from the team. The woman definitely had a chip on her shoulder and she didn't seem to care for Emily on a personal level. Feelings aside, it didn't alter the fact that they needed Emily going into finals if they wanted a shot at the title. Securing a state championship this early in her career at Rosewood would solidify Morgan's position. She needed the win as much as the Sharks did. It didn't make sense for the coach to shoot herself in the foot by keeping one of their star swimmers on the bench out of spite.

The only reasonable explanation was that someone other than Morgan was pulling the strings. Paige wouldn't put it past 'A' but Emily's tone had made it sound more administration than alphabet.

"Hey, Space Cadet, you plan to eat lunch in here?"

"Wha..." Paige looked around, surprised to find the class standing up. Damn. "No, I'm coming. I just have to stop by Coach Morgan and speak with her about the meet tonight."

"A meet on a Wednesday? Isn't that weird?"

"It is. We have doubles from here on in because of all the rescheduling in September."

"Ouch. You up for that?"

"I'm always up for kicking ass. The girls are going to be tired though. My guess is that Coach'll be handing out curfews by week's end. Anyway, I'll meet you in the cafeteria."

"See you there."

Paige made her way to the natatorium, going through her arguments in her mind as she walked. The office door was open and Paige touched the stopwatch in her pocket, grounding herself before she knocked on the doorframe. Morgan looked up briefly before returning her attention to the paperwork on her desk.

"I don't want to hear it, Captain."

"You don't even know what I'm going to say."

"You're about to advocate for Miss Fields. I respect that she's your friend but you have to think about your team."

"I am thinking about my team. Having Emily back is our best shot at taking State, you know that."

"I don't, actually." The woman finally put down her pen, leaning back in her chair to look at Paige. "She's proven herself unreliable. She took months off early in the season, her attendance has been slipshot and now her health concerns coupled with the arrest... it reflects poorly. A team is not a one person show with bit players in the background. Everyone needs to pull their weight and frankly, she hasn't been pulling hers."

"Her records say otherwise, she's been right behind my times..."

"A month and half ago. Has she been able to train since then?"

Paige foundered, unsure what Emily was looking at in terms of performance. With everything that had happened, Emily hadn't been able to attend the public practices.

"Do you think she's capable of performing at her usual standard after being out of the water for so long?"

Paige rallied, unwilling to give ground so early in to the fight. "The last time Emily came back, she put the hammer down. She was back in form within weeks."

"Good. Maybe next season she'll be able to try out for a slot again."

Morgan's steely gaze promised she wasn't going to be swayed, she had made her decision and Paige wasn't going to move her.

"Why are you doing this? You know she's good, you know she's sorry for her mistakes. I can work with her and get her back to where she was. Why won't you let us try? Winning State isn't just good for us, it's good for you."

"I see now what Coach Fulton meant about your dogged determination. She saw that trait as something admirable. I, on the other hand, don't see it as a positive. I see it as stubborn obstinance. You're unwilling to change and when you don't get your way, you dig in. That makes you hard to teach."

"I don't get what you're trying to teach here. Or why whatever lesson you're trying to give us, you're using Emily as the example."

"It's that we can't always get what we want, Captain. I'm teaching you how to accept failure. Whether it's getting a teammate back or taking State, I'm showing you that you can't always win."

"You're right, Coach." Pursing her lips, Paige locked eyes with the woman in front of her. "That's not a lesson I'm willing to learn."

Paige walked away, hand clasping the stopwatch to keep herself from letting loose with the full breadth of her anger. Her first instinct was to dig in and start swinging, just as her coach had observed, but Morgan was the type to stonewall. Paige needed something else, leverage of some kind, to push Morgan in the right direction. Letting the thought simmer in the back of her mind, Paige headed for lunch to sit down with Pru, Sean and the others. She caught eyes with Hastings whose stare was particularly hate filled.

"Seriously? Give it a rest already." Pru poked her arm with a plastic fork. "She's already running around in an orange jumpsuit, picking trash off the highway. That trumps whatever you could do to her."

"We'll see."

After the dustup at lunch, the day passed easily, Paige foregoing her usual session with Sean to save her strength for the meet. Rollins High wasn't a particularly competitive team but they had a match up with Lincoln on Friday. That was going to be a dogfight that she needed to save herself for. She bumped into Emily just after last class, the other girl pulling her books from her locker.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"Home."

"Uh, no, you're going to go watch the meet."

"Coach Morgan banned me, remember?"

"No," Paige drew out the word. "Morgan banned you from practise, she can't do anything about you watching a meet. Em, you're not going to get back on the team by going gently into that good night. You need to remind everyone that you exist. You need to make some damn noise, Fields." Paige shoved Emily on the shoulder, trying to gauge if there was any spark left. It got her the first glimpse of fire she had seen in over a month, Emily nodding her agreement.

"Okay."

"Good, I'll see you in there."

"Paige?"

"Yeah?"

"Kick some ass."

"I always do."

Leaving Emily to her books, Paige headed to the locker room where she went through her pre-meet routine. She checked her suit, cap and goggles before tugging on her warmups. Next was tracking down the team, everyone unusually on time and on track for getting in the water. Vicky and Chloe were with the Tanya and Piper, talking the freshmen down from their anxious ledges. Coach had been gunning for them both over the last week and if the pair didn't show well, there was going to be hell to pay.

Paige held her watch, closing her eyes as she repeated the words etched into the metal, thumb brushing against the words. "Be you best version, McCullers." Nodding to herself, comfortable with her preparedness, she corralled the last of her team. They had started assembling early, wanting to speak with one another without Morgan standing over them.

"All right, we know this team isn't great in the standings but that's no excuse to get lazy or sloppy. Think of it as practice to get us ready for Lincoln on Friday. Emily's in the stands tonight too, let's give her a good show."

They cheered and made their way out, Paige breathing deeply of chlorine heavy air as she looked over the stands. She found Emily easily, she always did, her friend sitting front row centre, eyes focused on the water. Paige walked over, pulling her stopwatch from the pocket of her warmups. She was leery of leaving it anywhere, afraid 'A' or some random thief would think it was worth taking. Giving it to Emily was the next best thing to having it in her hands.

"You might not get this back this time," Emily warned, a smile tugging at her lips as Paige wordlessly handed her the watch for safe keeping.

"I know where to find you, Fields."

With that she was padding back across the deck to prepare for her first heat. It was, as Paige predicted, an easy win all around. Tanya and Piper's performance in their individual heats gave them the confidence they needed to go into a set of relays that Rosewood dominated. Paige fared equally well, putting her opponents in their place without overstraining herself. She needed to keep some gas in the tank for Lincoln.

Emily was on her feet cheering at the end of it, the team accepting her congratulations and voicing their wishes that she return soon.

"You did great, although I don't think you quite put the hammer down," Emily said, walking beside Paige as she headed for the locker room. "What's the matter, McCullers? You slowing down without someone to keep you on your toes?"

Accepting the good natured ribbing, Paige bumped shoulders with her friend. "You wish, Fields. I just didn't want to scare you away. I'm a hard standard to measure up to."

Emily shook her head, pulling the stopwatch from her neck. "Are you talking about your ego? Because I'd totally have to agree there."

"Oh, har har, you're so funny." Paige accepted the watch, Emily's hand resting on hers, a sadness in dark eyes that made Paige's heart break. "It's going to be okay, Em. You're going to be back in the water in no time."

"Fingers crossed."

A quick, one armed hug and Paige split from Emily, catching up to the tail end of her team as they walked into the locker room. The debrief was mercifully quick, the small issues Morgan had seen were left to be corrected in the water in the morning. The unimpressed look Morgan shot Paige's way let her know she wasn't thrilled about Emily coming to the meet. Paige couldn't have cared less. Morgan had thrown down the gauntlet and Paige was a McCullers. She wasn't about to knuckle under because this woman thought she needed a lesson in comeuppance.

Paige left the locker room, passing by the milling students who had stayed to chat after the meet. She heard Emily's name more than once, finally stopping to listen in on a conversation about Spencer and the others tag teaming Emily over something of Alison's.

"Jesus, what now?" She loved Emily, she did, but the girl really needed to dial down on the drama. Pulling out her phone, Paige sent a text off to Emily to make sure her friend was okay. Her Dad picked her up outside the school, her bike in the shop for service.

"How'd it go?" He asked as she slid in to the passenger seat.

"Smoked'em."

"Good. Lincoln on Friday?"

"Yep, these next couple of weeks are full speed ahead."

"How are the sessions with Keith? Do you want taper them off?"

Paige gave the question its due, touched that her father thought enough to ask rather than dictate. They'd been working on their communication and it seemed the tree was finally bearing fruit.

"No, I think I can handle it." She was finally back in the groove of her early morning practices with Keith after the two weeks off. She was going to lose the slot after the season finished to the swimmer who had broken her arm. She might as well ride out the last bit and take a proper break once the season was over.

"All right, keep and eye on it, we don't want any over training at this point in the game. This is where we can't afford to slip up."

Paige nodded, she knew as much. These last few meets were crucial to set up their standings for the two day State Finals. A miss from this point on had the potential to kick them into the lower pools where they'd have to fight for every point.

Her mother had supper ready when they got home, bowls stacked high with lean proteins and fresh, raw veggies that wouldn't turn her stomach after the rigorous workout. When the meal was done, she went to shower and finish her homework, load still light so early into second semester.

She was in bed at her usual time and up again, her body on autopilot as she went through her morning. Driving to Keith's practice was a welcome change, Paige borrowing her mom's car while her bike was in the shop. It also made getting to the Sharks easier, even leaving time for coffee beforehand. Practice was what she expected, Morgan harping on the freshmen for the mistakes she had talked about the day before. Paige and the seniors were mostly left to themselves, the assistant coach giving them a list of drills before wandering back to help Morgan manage the J.V. squad.

It wasn't Paige's favourite way to work but they made it happen, each person taking a turn every four laps to climb out and time the others. The morning was even less eventful, thankfully, though Spencer looked as if she were trying to set Paige's head on fire every time their eyes met. Lunch was usual except for Emily's foursome eating together, no sign of their month long feud evident as they conversed at their table.

"Wonder how many babies Emily had to sacrifice to Lord Hastings for that to happen," Pru muttered, following Paige's curious gaze. "I heard they almost had a thrown down in the middle of the school, right after your meet last night."

"I texted Emily after it happened, she didn't get back to me but I guess she's okay."

"The drama from those girls could fill a book. Or ten."

"Yeah, but who'd read the trials and tribulations of a bunch of pretty little liars?" One of the other girls asked, earning a laugh from her end of the table.

Paige caught eyes with Sean who frowned, obviously unhappy with the direction of the conversation but unable to refute that, in some ways, the foursome had brought it on themselves. They weren't Ali's chosen any more. They didn't have their alpha standing guard to protect them from gossip, now as vulnerable to rumours as everybody else. As much as Paige didn't want people talking shit about Emily, if the girl would just stay out of trouble, it would be much easier to defend her.

"I hear they got busted for evidence tampering but the cops think one of them killed Alison."

"It was totally Spencer, those two were duking it out to be top dog."

"No way, Hannah was all over that. I mean, look at her, she totally took Ali's place, at least until loser Lucas and the five oh dragged her down."

Paige let out a sigh, hoping the ridiculous theorizing would run its course quickly.

"I hear Emily killed Ali because she was in love with her and couldn't have her."

The last had come from Ben and Paige barked out a sharp, "hey! That's enough."

"What's the matter, Paige? Gotta defend the lonely lesbian's honour?"

"She said 'that's enough', Ben," Sean warned, blue eyes icy as he stared across the table.

"Whatever, what do you care? Or are you just pissed off 'cause you're still hung up on Hefty Hannah over there?"

Paige had never seen Sean raise his voice -much less lose his temper- taken by complete surprise when he launched across the table to grab Ben by the front of his shirt.

"What the hell?" Ben broke the grip, pushing Sean back across the table by driving his palms into his chest. The shoving match quickly escalated, both boys rounding the table, fists already balled. Pru sat back, mild panic in her eyes as Paige stood, pressing her hand to Sean's chest to hold him back. He looked down at her, jaw clenched, nostrils flaring before his eyes went back to Ben.

"Stop." It wasn't so much an order as a plea. The last thing any of them needed was to get into trouble by letting themselves be sucked into the foursome's drama. Paige had enough to worry about as it was. Ben stepped forward but Paige didn't move, pressing her hand more firmly against Sean as he tried to move in. "You don't want to do this, Sean. Walk it off."

He flicked his eyes around the crowded room and back to Paige before nodding curtly, grabbing his backpack before he stalked out of the cafeteria.

"You're an ass," Paige said, glaring at Ben as she swiped her bag from the floor. She didn't even spare a comment for the rest of them, brushing past the table to follow her friend. She found him in the courtyard, pacing back and forth, evidently trying to burn off some of the adrenaline.

"Hey."

"You should have just let me hit him."

"Why? So you could break your hand on his smug little face? What kind of friend would I be?" Paige sat on the table top, watching him pace.

"You got to hit him."

"Yeah," Paige admitted, flexing her hand. "It wasn't a great idea when I did it either."

"He's such a jackass sometimes."

"Only sometimes?" Paige smirked, the comment earning a returned smirk from Sean who finally sat on the seat beside Paige, nudging her leg with his shoulder as he looked up at her.

"I'm sorry for losing my temper."

"You were standing up for me, you don't have to apologize for that. I'm perfectly capable of fighting my own battles," Paige reminded. "But it's really cool to know there's someone I can count on for backup." Paige squeezed his shoulder, truly grateful to have made such a loyal friend. They sat in companionable silence before a few minutes before Sean spoke.

"Next time I get to hit him."

Paige chuckled, accepting that this was one of the rare times she had let her admittedly hot temper not get the best of her. "Next time, I'm probably going to hold him down."


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer**: Who has two thumbs and doesn't own the rights to these characters? This gal!

**Author's Notes:** This chapter contains spoilers up to Season 2, Episode 15, "A Hot Piece of 'A'".

Apologies for the length between updates. While I do have a good portion of this story written, it isn't edited. To make it something I'm proud to put out -and that you'll enjoy- takes time, a resource in short supply on my end. I manage a business, I own a second business, I'm in the process of finding a new home for my novel. This story is a labour of love. While I'd be quite happy to sit and write Paily all day, work that pays the bills has to come first. That said, I'll do my best to put quality updates out as quickly as I can.

On to the good stuff.

Please, don't forget to tip your bards. If you take the time to read, do us authors a solid and take the extra second to review.

Thank you, everyone, for the faves/follows and reviews. Much appreciated! Comments and constructive criticisms are always welcome.

**Secondary Note:** I've created an eBook style PDF, complete with cover, for 'Season 1' of 'Seven For A Secret'. Season one includes chapters one through fourteen, inclusive. If you'd like to have a copy, head on over to **www dot teriasmcklay dot com** to download it.

**Chapter 26**

Friday after lunch saw Paige with Sean for their usual training session, a gentle workout in deference to her swim meet after school.

"You going to Hannah's party tonight?" Sean asked, ducking the jab Paige threw at him before he stepped to the side to strike lightly at her ribs. She crouched a little as he struck, tucking her elbows in tight to protect her midsection, the blow glancing off her arm.

"Why the hell would I do that?" Keeping her guard tight to protect her ribs, she stepped in toward his body to negate his reach, a quick jab/cross combo connecting with his cheek.

"Because Emily's going to be there."

"Sean, let it go. She's with Maya." Paige stood, letting her guard drop. "Speaking of ex girlfriends, how did you score an invite to Hannah's, boyfriend's surprise party?"

"Noel. He and Mona are going and they asked if I wanted to tag along with Pru."

"Which means I'll be the only one without a date. That sounds like fun." Her tone indicated otherwise and she shoved her hand under her arm to pull her glove off, wrist watch beeping out the time.

"C'mon, don't think of it like that. You could have a date if you put yourself out there."

"Name one other lesbian in this school whose initials aren't E. F."

Sean shrugged broad shoulders. "Pru said she thinks you and Spencer could get along. I hear she broke up with... Ach."

Paige's flying glove caught him square in the nose, the second she tossed at his crotch, which was unsurprisingly well protected.

"That's not even funny."

Sean grinned, tossing the gloves back to her. "It's kinda funny."

Paige rolled her eyes as she walked to the door, Sean's arm slung companionably across her shoulders.

"C'mon, Paige, you have to actually get out there if you want to get out there."

The words gave her pause, reminding her of Coach Fulton. "If nothing changes, nothing changes. Right?"

"Exactly." His boyish grin nearly split his face as he left her to enter the women's change room. "I'll pick you up at your place at eight. That should give you plenty of time to get changed after your meet." He didn't wait for an answer -obviously worried she'd renege- and ducked into the men's room.

"I'm going to regret this, I just know it."

The rest of the day passed easily, boring classes bleeding quickly into their meet against Lincoln. The competition was one of the few left before qualifiers, Rosewood's standings determined by how many points they scored over the season. It had been a slow start, with Emily quitting and the lack of cohesion they had stuttered in those first few months.

When Emily had returned -bringing cohesion with her- they had made up some points, but it would still be a dogfight to get a decent start position for qualifiers. If Rosewood was in the bottom half, they would face teams who had done better than themselves in the first round of the State Championship. It wouldn't be impossible to win but it certainly wasn't an auspicious start.

The meet ended up as a split day, Varsity taking the win while the Junior Varsity fell short. Piper and Tanya took the heat for it, Morgan focusing her full attention on them during their post meet debrief. While Paige didn't think the girls had performed to their full potential, the cutting comments weren't going to do either of the freshmen any good. She took them aside to soften the criticisms and sent them on their way, ignoring the icy glare Morgan leveled at her as she walked to her office.

"Looks like someone's PMSing," Vicky said, leaning against the locker beside Paige's. Chloe was on the bench beside them, nodding her head in agreement.

"Is she ever not? I think the only time I've seen her crack a smile is when she's making the freshmen cry." Chloe reclined on the bench, evidently comfortable simply relaxing in the change room. "Anyway, Vic and I are hitting the Brew tonight, want to come?"

Paige raised an eyebrow, it was the first social invite she'd gotten from them since they had begun swimming together. Three years ago. How times had changed.

"I would but I let myself get talked into Hannah's surprise party with Sean and Pru."

"You couldn't pay me to go to that little shindig, Noel Kahn's going." Vicky said his name as though she were spitting out a bad piece of fruit. "Have fun though. If you get the urge to smoke Ben in the face again, be sure and give in."

"I don't think he's going. He and Sean still aren't talking and I doubt Emily or the others would invite him on his own."

"Small graces."

Paige was tempted to invite Vicky and Chloe with her to the party, just to have some back up. Her only reticence came from it being Hastings' lakehouse and the last thing she needed was to get into with Hastings over being a party crasher. She waved her goodbyes and headed out to the bike rack.

It was quick work to get home, her Dad watching TV when Paige walked through the door. She sat with him, leaning back into the couch as she watched the Men's 200m Freestyle. It was an Olympic qualifying meet, it would be interesting to see if there would be any upstarts.

"How'd it go?" he asked, attention split between her and the race.

"Freshmen were a little weak but varsity took it home."

"Good, the freshmen have time to improve, it's you guys that need to shine. Any plans for tonight?"

"Yeah, Sean and Pru are going to a party, they invited me to tag along."

"So long as you're…"

"Home by midnight, I know, Dad."

He patted her knee and turned his attention back to the TV, Paige focusing in on it as well. "Tell you what, your mother and I are going out soon. How about I tape it and we watch it together tomorrow?"

"Sounds great. Hey, are you still coming to the gym tomorrow with me and Sean?"

"I am. Maybe I'll show you kids what real boxing looks like."

Paige laughed, standing and dropping a kiss on his cheek before she walked away. "Sure thing, Dad."

He muttered a retort that she couldn't make out as she headed downstairs.

It was a relatively fast change, long hair surprisingly easier to deal with than the cropped cut had been. She pulled it all back in a ponytail, her still growing bangs hanging loose around her ears. Jeans and her new boots were next, the scarf Emily's had given her tied wide at her hip. Tank top, a long sleeve crew neck t-shirt and a canvas jacket completed the look, knit cap tucked into the pocket in case it got cold.

Paige didn't bother with makeup, eyes still sore from the chlorine. At eight o'clock on the nose, the bell upstairs rang and she hurdled the couch, racing up the stairs before her mom got hold of Sean and offered him dinner.

She pulled open the door, surprised to see Pru standing on her porch. "What the hell? You're on time?" Never, in their decade of friendship, had the girl ever been on time.

"It's something new I'm trying. Let's get moving, you wouldn't want you to miss your golden opportunity to drown Spencer in a lake."

"See, if Sean had sold it to me like that, I would have even put up a fight."

"I'm sure eventually he'll get the hang of your neuroses eventually. You ready?"

"Yeah, why? You going to criticize my outfit before we leave?"

Pru took a step back, eyes scanning Paige from top to bottom. "No, actually, not at all. I like it. That scarf is nice, where'd you get it?"

"Just... had it in my closet," Paige hedged, turning to call out to her parents. "Bye, Mom! Bye, Dad!"

Their muted replies were called down the stairs and off they went, piling into Sean's car.

"Hey, how'd you do tonight?" he greeted.

"Not bad."

"Well enough to earn this?" Sean passed back a large coffee cup, the smell of cream and sugar wafting to Paige's nose.

"I take it back," Pru said. "Apparently he has gotten the hang of your crazy. Can we go now? Cinderella back there has to be home by midnight."

Paige slapped Sean's shoulder in thanks, reclining in her seat to enjoy her obscenely rich coffee as they drove out of Rosewood. The street lights gave way to dark forest, their headlights almost immediately consumed in the dense fog as they drove. It took nearly half an hour to reach the Hastings' lakehouse, the party well underway by the time they arrived. They slid out of the car, meeting up with Noel and Mona who were on their way in as well.

"Hey there, Paige McCullers."

"Hi, Mona." Paige couldn't figure out why the girl always seemed so happy to see her. It couldn't be completely genuine, they had never been more than acquaintances, mutual victims really. Still, it was better than the sneer Noel was levelling at her so she supposed she should be grateful. Evidently he was still holding a grudge about Ben. Too fucking bad.

The foursome entered the house as one, Paige feeling oddly comfortable despite the busy social setting. She knew a number of people in passing, either from sports or class and she had already wheedled promises out of both Sean and Pru that she was not to be left unattended. Unplanned conversation was bound to take an unfortunate turn.

Emily was nowhere to be found, Maya either, which Paige found odd considering Hannah was playing host. She had figured the dazzling duo would be making a grand appearance.

Geeze, she sounded bitter even in her head.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Fine, I'll be right back, I'm going to grab a drink." Paige made her way to the mix table, foregoing the booze. The last thing she needed was to end up drunk and making an ass of herself at a party. She had just finished pouring herself a club soda when she saw Emily walk through the crowd, headed for the kitchen. Something was off in her friend's stride, dark eyes betraying her emotions. Emily was upset. Paige wondered if it might have something to do with the lack of Maya on her arm.

"Stop it, Paige. You're supposed to be playing nice." Self chide complete, Paige found her way back to Sean and Pru who were chatting with a girl she didn't recognize. That was odd, given Rosewood's size, it was uncommon not to at least recognize someone by sight.

Paige moved in to the group, standing between the new girl and Pru.

"Paige, this is Shana. Shana, Paige."

"Hi." Paige gave a little wave which was returned. Pru took over the conversation, as was her usual but began to gradually shuffle over, forcing Paige to move in closer to the newcomer. When it got to the point that they were nearly touching elbows, Paige glared over at her friend, question and irritation written in her eyes.

"Paige, Shana mentioned that her folks were talking about moving to Rosewood this summer." Pru ignored Paige's stare, focusing her attention on Shana.

"Maybe. I hope so. I have got to get out of North Carolina." Shana smiled as she spoke, catching eyes with Paige who barely bit back the urge to tell the girl to run for the hills. Hell had nothing on Rosewood and Shana would do well never to step foot back in town.

As she scanned the room, Paige caught sight of Emily as she walked out of the kitchen. Her friend sidled up to Hastings who looked like she'd gotten strung out on a hot dose of caffeine. Something was definitely up.

"I'm away for a lot of the summer with my parents but Paige stays pretty close to home, maybe she can show you around Rosewood."

Paige looked at Pru as her name registered. "Huh? Yeah, sure," Paige agreed absently, tracking Emily and Hastings as they ran over to the window. Pru kicked her foot, a discreet nod indicating that Paige was meant to be in the middle of a conversation.

"That'd be great, I'd really appreciate it." Shana was focused on Paige now and she wasn't completely sure why or what exactly she had agreed to.

"No problem." She hoped that was somewhat of an appropriate response. Judging by the enthusiastic smile Shana sent her way, it seemed to be.

"I'm going to go get another drink, anyone need a refill?" Shana asked, holding up her empty cup.

"No, I'm good thanks." Paige waved off the offer, turning back to semi focus on Sean and Pru while looking for a now missing Emily and Spencer. A sharp stomp on her foot brought her attention back to her friends. "Ow! Goddamn it, Pru! What was that for?"

"I was setting you up, you idiot. Could you please pretend that someone other than Emily exists for just one second?"

"Setting me up? With who?"

Pru stared at her like she was slow. "Shana, you jackass. She's into you."

"What? Pru, don't be ridiculous." Whatever else Pru had to say was cut off as Emily ran into the house, panic written in her step. Leaving her cup on the table, Paige went to meet the girl, surprised when Emily grabbed her arms to steady herself. "What's wrong?'

"Lucas and Hannah, they went out in the boat, they're not answering. I think something might have happened."

That wasn't good, the pier on the other side of the small lake was definitely within yelling distance. Paige turned to Sean, flagging him over. "Do you have flashlights in your car?"

"Yeah."

"We need them, now." Her tone brooked no room for argument and he left his drink with Pru, hurrying out to his car, Paige on his heels. "Em, go back to the lake, keep calling out. I'll meet you down there." Paige and Sean slid to a halt at his car, boots skidding in the loose gravel. He popped open the trunk, pulling out two sturdy flashlights. Paige turned it on and headed for the shore, pushing through trees, brush and the small crowd to get to the beach where a soaked Hannah sat, Emily and Spencer beside her.

"Hannah, what happened?" Caleb asked, looking between his girlfriend and the water. A collective muttering rippled through the crowd as a rowboat, overturned, floated up to the shore. "Where's Lucas?"

"He's... he's still out there." Hannah's words could barely be heard over her chattering.

Shit. This was bad. Paige kicked off her boots and stripped out of her jacket, tossing it to the sand with her long sleeve overshirt.

"Paige, what are you doing?" Sean grabbed her arm as she made to run down to the water.

"Get that boat turned over and follow me in."

"Wait, Paige..."

She slipped his grip, running down the embankment to get as much speed as possible to launch herself into the water. It felt like a kick to the gut, the cool water closing around her and she pumped her legs, using her arms to pull her body forward. It was slower than normal, heavy denim jeans a pronounced hindrance as she swam. Emily's yell for her clashed against Sean's bellow for Noel to help him get the boat righted. Paige ignored it all, focusing on her stroke and the water, holding the flashlight to scan for Lucas. This part of the water wasn't deep, she could feel the lake weeds tickling at her feet as she swam.

"Lucas!" Paige stopped, treading water as she flashed the light around, searching for any sign of him. "Lucas! Can you hear me?!" Nothing. Wait, there! "Sean, over here!" A floating shoe passed her and she flashed her light at Sean to show where she was before swimming forward. Her foot brushed against something that didn't feel like weeds and she reached down, trying to search for it with her hands.

Nothing.

"Damn it." Two deep breaths, one to calm herself, the other to fill her lungs and Paige dove, reluctantly opening her eyes in the murky water to search. She shoved at weeds, the beam of her flashlight lost quickly in the darkness. She stayed down until her lungs wouldn't take it any more, surfacing to take another breath before diving back beneath the surface. It was on her third try that she found a box of fireworks, Hannah's name written on the packing label. She had found where Lucas had gone in. If he hadn't made it to shore, he was somewhere nearby.

She surfaced, waving her arms overhead to signal the others. "Sean, over here." Sean and Noel were rowing in tandem, two muscular sets of shoulders flexing as they powered through the water to reach her. "The fireworks are down here, I think this is where he went in."

"Lucas!"

"Lucas!"

Sean and Noel yelled collectively, their voices mere murmurs under the water as Paige dove again. She didn't stop her search until she grew dizzy from the exertion, limbs like leaden weights as the cold began to seep deep into her bones.

"Come on, Paige." Sean reached out his hand, his lean over the side very nearly tipping the small boat.

"We can't just leave him out here," Paige argued, holding lightly to the side of the boat as she swept her light along the water.

"It's been almost twenty minutes, Paige. If he's down there..." Noel didn't finish his thought. He didn't need to. Even if Paige had found Lucas in the beginning, it still would have been on the cusp of live recovery.

"Noel's right, you have to get out of that water before you end up with hypothermia."

"I'll get myself in, you and Noel sit on the side to balance it out," she advised, tossing the flashlight into the boat and muscling herself over the edge mostly by sheer force of will. She dropped into the bottom of the boat, tucking her hands under her arms and curling tightly into herself to maintain what warmth she could as Noel rowed them to shore. Sean helped her up, wrapping his arms around her and rubbing her skin to bring blood flow back as her lips chattered.

"What the hell were you thinking? You could have gotten yourself killed!"

"I was…wasn't thh-thhinking, just instinct, I guess." Lights had begun to flash at the top of the hill by the time they got to shore, the red and blue letting them know the police had arrived. Two men were already hauling a small motorized boat down the embankment, setting it in the water and turning on a high wattage spotlight that nearly burned out the back of Paige's eyes.

Noel hopped out of the boat to pull it to shore, going so far as to help lift Paige out of the boat when she found her legs wouldn't do her bidding.

"Thh-think I mm-may have to can cancel boxing tomorrow," she joked as Sean led her up the slope and back to the lakehouse. Emily met them halfway, a heavy blanket in hand that she wrapped around Paige's shoulders.

"Noel, can you grab her clothes? I'll get her up to the house," Sean said. "If you want, I can carry you."

"Ov...over my dead body." Paige retorted, smiling at the relief that flooded Emily's features. Apparently humour in tragic situations wasn't completely inappropriate. Despite her protest, Sean kept one arm around her as they walked, Emily at her side. She wouldn't have admitted it at gunpoint, but it was nice to have his support. She wasn't sure her legs would have made the effort otherwise.

Pru was at the top of the hill, pacing herself into a hole as she spoke with an officer who had managed to corral her.

"Paige!"

"I'm good, I'm a popsicle, but I'm good."

"You didn't find anything?" Pru asked, looking past Paige as if she might find some sign of Lucas.

"No, I think I found where he went in." She pointed to the area on the map the officer held out to her. The officer nodded at her, radioing his peers in the boat as he walked off.

"Pru, I've got some spare workout gear in my trunk, grab it, it'll be dry at least."

"It better be clean, Ackard. I'll freeze to death before I put on your dirty jockies," Paige countered. "Em, how's Hannah?"

"She's okay, terrified and freezing, but okay. Spencer's looking after her so let's get you taken care of"

Paige nodded, leaning more on Sean than she would have liked as her soaked jeans sucked at her body. She left a sizeable puddle on Hasting's floor as she walked in, Emily guiding them to one of the bedrooms. A pleasant wall of warmth hit Paige, the girls had obviously kicked on the rooms' radiator.

"I'll get towels." Emily disappeared leaving Sean and Paige to stand rather awkwardly in the unfamiliar room.

"If you think I'm stripping in front of you..."

"Never crossed my mind. Scout's honour."

Pru and Emily returned at the same time, one with an arm full of towels, the other with an oversized set of Rosewood Sharks sweats.

"I have to go back and finish talking to the cops. Here." Pru unceremoniously dumped the sweats in Emily's arms. Paige's eyes widened, realization kicking in just as Pru bodily dragged Sean from the room, closing the door behind her.

"That was about as subtle as a car crash. Em, just leave it on the bed, I can manage."

"Why? So you can tell your dad you not only had to save a drowning kid but cracked your head open at our party? I don't think so, McCullers, I value my life. Strip."

Paige didn't have it in her to argue the order, more concerned with getting out of the wet clothes than propriety at this point. Leave it to her to be a smartass and wear her tightest jeans. It was a wrestle to her get shirt off, Emily finally grabbing hold of the hem while Paige used her body weight to drag herself out. The jeans were next, a small jump and hip wiggle doing little to dislodge tight denim. "And Pru wonders why I don't wear these stupid things."

"Here, let me." Emily knelt down, grabbing Paige's waistband to help her shimmy loose. She did her best to block the somewhat salacious position out of her mind, surprised that despite the adrenaline, the exhaustion, the near hypothermia, her body had no choice but to respond to Emily's touch.

Ridiculous.

When Paige was free of the jeans, she wrapped herself in a towel, drying off as best she could before taking the offered sweat pants and quickly exchanging them for soaked underwear. She did the same for the hoodie, forced to roll up both sleeves and waistband simply to keep from being swallowed by the large clothing.

"I didn't realize how ginormous he is. I feel like the Michelin man," Paige complained, though the feel of warm, dry fleece on her body was heaven itself.

"If it keeps you warm, that's all that matters. Sit down, I'll dry your hair."

"Em, I got it. It's fine, really. Go check on Hannah."

"Damn it, McCullers! For once in your life would just let someone take care of you for a change?"

The flare of anger surprised her and Paige immediately complied and sat on the bed, unwilling to upset Emily further. She reached out, taking Emily's hand and gave it tug, eyes meeting those of her friend. "I swear to you, I'm okay. Please don't worry."

Emily gave her a reluctant nod, silently wrapping the comforter around Paige before she knelt behind her to towel her hair dry. Paige knew she probably shouldn't enjoy the attention as much as she did, Emily's gentle ministrations as much a comfort as the warmth. It didn't take long, Emily neatly retying her ponytail and tossing the wet towel to the floor. Arms circled her in a tight hug from behind, Emily resting her chin on Paige's shoulder. Turning, Paige raised an eyebrow.

"You scared the hell out of me tonight."

Paige swallowed, unaccustomed to the raw emotion in Emily's eyes. She snuck a hand out from the warmth of the covers, lacing her fingers with that of her friend. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

"You could have drowned out there, looking for... him."

"You have met me, right, Fields? I'm a state record setting superhero. I'm not going to die drowning in a freaking puddle." She turned, just slightly, lips ghosting against Emily's temple. "I promise."

"I've already lost someone I ...cared about once, Paige. I can't do it again."

"Emily, I..." The knock on the door barely warned them that someone was coming in, Paige abruptly standing to put distance between them. She didn't want anyone getting the wrong idea. Didn't want anything getting back to Maya that might hurt Emily. It was only Hastings who gave Paige her usual suspicious once over before turning her attention to Emily.

"The police want to talk to us."

"Cause that's not getting old," Emily muttered, pushing herself off the bed. "You're sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, Em. Go."

Paige waited until they were gone, leaning on the wall only to rap her head against yellowed wallpaper. "Stupid, stupid, stupid."


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer**: Who has two thumbs and doesn't own the rights to these characters? This gal!

**Author's Notes:** This chapter contains spoilers up to Season 2, Episode 18, "A Kiss Before Lying".

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Thank you, everyone, for the faves/follows and reviews. Much appreciated! Comments and constructive criticisms are always welcome.

**Secondary Note:** I've created an eBook style PDF, complete with cover, for 'Season 1' of 'Seven For A Secret'. Season one includes chapters one through fourteen, inclusive. If you'd like to have a copy, head on over to **www dot teriasmcklay dot com** to download it.

Enjoy!

**Chapter 27**

It was just past midnight when they were able to leave the lakehouse, the police insisting Paige be checked by paramedics before she could be sent on her way. A quick call to her parents had explained the broken curfew, the sound of a police radio in the background confirming her alibi. When they reached Rosewood, Sean dropped Pru off first before he stopped at Paige's.

"Want me to come in with you? Explain what happened?"

"No, it's okay. Besides, knowing you, by the time you're done, the lake will have been filled with dragons and Democrats. I plan to downplay it." Paige pushed open the car door, wet clothes wrapped in a soaked towel, her jacket draped over her arm. "Thanks for the sweats. I'll wash them and get them back to you."

"No worries, I have tons. You're sure you don't want me to go in there?"

"I'm fine. Promise." Paige sent him on his way, the front door opening as she walked up the porch stairs. Her mother looked fit for hysterics, tugging Paige into a tight hug before she had even stepped across the threshold. "I'm fine, Mom."

"What were you thinking going out there in the middle of the night?"

Paige looked over her mother's shoulder to her father who appeared worried but in control. She wasn't sure what the big deal was.

He came up beside them, rubbing her mom's back to comfort. "Why don't we have some of that coffee you're brewing and sit down?"

"Coffee! You must be freezing!" Her mother dropped her arms and hurried past them to the kitchen.

"I'm actually okay, Mom," Paige called after her, to no avail. "Is she okay?"

"She was worried sick. I'm concerned myself, Paige. It was dangerous to go into that water. The visibility, the temperature... even experienced swimmers can make mistakes."

"Sean came in a boat right behind me, I was just the first in the water. I couldn't let someone drown." Paige sat on the couch, gratefully accepting the throw her dad put over her shoulders before he sat beside. She sunk into his body, soaking up the warmth he offered.

"I understand and I'm proud of you. We just couldn't take losing you. As experienced as you are in the pool, you're not trained for water rescue. If you'd found that boy and he was panicking, you could have both drowned."

Paige didn't feel like dwelling on the 'could haves' considering she hadn't even found Lucas. He could be lying dead in the lake or on shore somewhere, injured. Still, her father had a point. She had let instinct guide her without giving thought to the possible consequences. Paige was certain it had been the right thing to do -and she would do it again- but she had to remember that decisions weren't made in a vacuum.

"I'm sorry. I'll try to be more careful."

"That's all I can ask. You've been raised to help those in need, I just want you to be smart about it."

"Maybe I should take a life guarding course. I don't expect to have anymore midnight swims but I'm in the water all the time. It makes sense to be prepared."

"You're right. How about we look into it this summer?"

"Sounds good."

Her mother reappeared, somewhat calmer, handing a steaming cup of coffee to Paige and her father and sat down. Sandwiched between her parents, Paige sipped at her coffee, letting the comfort of her family lull her into relaxation.

**888**

The weekend passed quietly, Emily texting her on Saturday to be sure Paige was okay and again on Sunday to let her know Lucas had made contact with his family. Paige was at once relieved that Lucas was okay and irritated that he had waited two days to make contact. How could he have done that to his parents?

Practice went as usual on Monday, Paige doing her best to fight through the residual soreness from the week before. Her shoulder nagged at her as she finished her laps with the Sharks, on the receiving end of Coach Morgan's dressing down for the first time. A number of the girls geared up to protest the lecture, Paige cutting her eyes over and making a small hand motion to stop it in its tracks. It wasn't worth getting into a tussle over and she _had_ been lagging, she couldn't hold herself immune to taking criticism.

When Coach Morgan was done extracting her pound of flesh, Paige went to the showers, surprised to find Vicky and Chloe at her locker when she came out.

"What's up guys?"

"Dude, why would you take crap from her? You had every reason to take the day off and she's ragging on you like you just came back from vacation." Vicky led with, stepping back so Paige could reach for her things.

"Maybe but excuses aren't going to win meets and I'm not perfect, Vicky. I need a kick in the ass every once in awhile too. It's fine."

"It's not. She's been dragging every freshman through the mud for weeks. The girls aren't even sure they want to come back next year. The only reason they haven't walked yet is because of you."

Paige leaned her head against the locker, unsurprised by the news. She was used to this kind of pace. Her father had held her against an even higher standard, delivered even stronger criticisms, for years. The others hadn't experienced this kind of harsh method, long used to Coach Fulton's nurturing style. It was a rude change over that likely sucked the fun out of the sport so what was the point? Most of the girls wouldn't develop well enough to earn rides to university, it was more recreation than anything.

When it came to cohesion, Paige managed, even leadership she could do. But fun? Making the atmosphere relaxed? That had always been Emily's bag.

Damn it.

"Just… tell them to hold on a little longer. We're all still getting used to one another." What would Emily do in her place? Or Coach Fulton? They couldn't change the situation, maybe they had to change their perspective. "Look, why don't we have another get together? Go to Eddie's for pizza?"

"We have to do something," Chloe agreed. "The seniors are gone next year and most of the juniors have put in too much effort to bail on the team. The freshman and sophomores can still cut out without feeling they've wasted a lot of time. If that happens..."

"I know," Paige cut off the speech. It would tank the team. They would spend too much of next season training rookies to hope to make a decent stand. In her senior year, when scouts started to push, that wasn't something Paige could afford. She needed to keep the girls on track. That meant focusing on team building, making them accountable to each other rather than Coach Morgan. It meant putting her attention to tidying her own house, instead of running after Emily to pick her up after every bumped elbow and skinned knee.

Emily had Maya for that now.

Paige had to take these next few weeks and concentrate on herself and her team. She wasn't in a position to split her efforts and Emily had made her choice. It wouldn't be hard. After the day at the barn their conversations had been limited to when they had been forcibly thrown together, like Hannahs' party. Paige would just make a point to dig in her heels and hope for the best.

"Spread the word. We'll do dinner on Saturday at Eddie's."

"Sounds good, Cap'n. We'll get it out to the others." Vicky and Chloe both gave a loose salute, that Paige rolled her eyes at, before leaving her to finish dressing. She was out of the change room later than normal, surprised to find both Pru and Sean at her locker when she got there. "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

"I just wanted to check up on you," Sean assured, holding up his hands innocently.

"I'm here to shanghai you," Pru admitted, handing Paige a coffee and pulling her down the hallway. Paige eyed her friend suspiciously.

"What now?"

"Remember that girl Shana that we met at the party?"

"Vaguely, I guess... why?"

"Her parents are in town house hunting so she's going to be here most of the week."

"Why do you know this?" Paige turned to Sean. "Why does she know this?"

"I got her number before she left on Friday. By the way, I totally rock as your wingman. I have mad skills at picking up chicks."

"Oh, God, Pru. What did you do?"

"Nothing. Nothing. I just told Shana you'd be willing to show her a couple of places around town."

"Pru!"

"It's nothing serious, I mean she doesn't even live here. C'mon, it's easy. You just go out for coffee or dinner, maybe try another girl's lips on for size."

"Uh, on that note, I think I'm just gonna..." Sean hitched his thumb back the way they had come. "Bye. See you at lunch."

Paige glared at his back as he fled, unable to believe he had completely abandoned her when she needed someone with a brain to shoot down this ludicrous plan. "I can not believe you did that."

"Oh relax, it's not like I paraded you through the red light district. It's one date, Paige. You'll be fine. If nothing else, you can use it to brush up on your non existent social skills."

"Hey!"

"Shana's going to call you tonight to make plans. Answer the phone." Pru's stare indicated that disobedience would breed unwelcome consequences.

"This is ridiculous," Paige reiterated, holding the door open for her friend as they ventured into class.

"I haven't yet begun to set you up. I'm still convinced Spencer is your soulmate."

"Pru, I swear to God..."

**888**

Paige rounded the hallway corner Thursday afternoon just as Emily and her mom broke apart, both Fields women smiling widely. She couldn't help the smile that crept onto her own face at the sight of it, glad her chronically stressed friend was finally happy again. She went to her locker to grab her workout gear, meaning to make a clean get away when she caught eyes with Mrs. Fields.

"Paige!"

Crap. No escape now. Pasting on her best smile -genuinely happy to see Mrs. Fields- Paige walked over to meet her. She was somewhat caught off guard by a tight hug, freezing for a moment before she returned it, the comfort of a mother's embrace undeniable.

"How've you been?"

"Good, busy trying to keep up with everything." Paige said, looking to Emily for how to proceed. "How was the flight from Texas?"

"Long, but more than worth it," Mrs. Fields answered, throwing an arm around Emily's waist to pull her close.

"I'll bet. Well, it was nice to see you, Mrs. Fields. I should let you guys catch up." Paige hitched her duffel bag on her shoulder and began to walk backwards.

"I've got an idea, why don't you let me take the both of you to lunch?"

"Uh..." Paige fumbled for a graceful exit from what she assumed would be a particularly awkward meal. "No, that's okay, Mrs. Fields. You two should hang out."

"Come on, you can catch Emily and I up on what's happening with the team. What do you say? You're allowed off campus aren't you?"

Paige once again looked to Emily, hoping her question about what her friend wanted was apparent in her eyes.

"Yeah, come on, Paige. It'll be fun."

"Okay then, I'll just… uh, put this away." Paige shrugged out of her duffel bag and walked back to her locker, texting Pru as she went.

**Going to miss lunch. Going out with Em. And her mom.-Paige**

**...This should be good.-Pru**

Shoving her bag back into the depths of her locker, Paige grabbed her jacket. "Okay, ready."

Mother and daughter walked out arm in arm, Paige at Emily's side, hands tucked into her coat pockets for want of something to do with them.

"So, Paige, how are the preparations for state finals going?"

"Well, we're definitely going to make it into the round robin, we made up a ton of points when we had Emily back."

"That sounds promising."

"More promising if Em were back in the water," Paige admitted, her teammate sighing her discontent. They walked off campus, crossing over to the edge of downtown proper where many of the student hang outs were. They chose one of the calmer burger joints, seating themselves to wait for a server.

"I'm just going freshen up in the washroom and then you can tell me more about this new coach. Honey, order me the veggie burger and side salad, okay?"

"Sure thing."

Mrs. Fields slid out of her seat, on course for the washrooms at the rear of the small diner.

"I'm sorry if you broke any plans. Mom asks about you a lot."

"She does?" Paige couldn't help the curiosity that coloured her tone. "Why?"

"When I was on the team, you were a big part of my life. I talked about you a lot, I guess. And then with my stomach, I just... she knows how much you helped out. Then there was that whole thing with Lucas." Emily rolled her eyes, Paige following suit. Lucas could have gotten people hurt with his little stunt.

"It's cool, Em. I like your mom. I'm just not sure what she knows. About us."

"She knows we hung out, I've never told her we dated. I didn't want to chance that coming out."

"Ha."

Emily smirked, an expertly aimed ball of napkin hitting Paige in the forehead. "You know what I mean."

"I do. Thanks." Paige was amazed how easy it was for them to slip back into their camaraderie. With all the drama of the past while, she'd almost forgotten why she loved Emily so much in the first place. It would make it harder still to keep her promise to herself to keep her distance. As much for Emily's sake as her own.

Too much easy friendship and Paige was bound to start blurring the lines. She didn't want to do something stupid to screw up their relationship, or Emily's with Maya. Better to stick to safe subjects. "Why's your mom so interested in Coach Morgan? Is she plotting murder? Are we her alibis?"

"No." Emily laughed, turning to give her orders to the server and waiting for Paige to do the same before she resumed. "She wasn't impressed that Morgan hasn't let me come back but she seems to have faith that it'll work itself out."

"It better work itself out quickly, the state tournament is in two weeks. Have you even been back in the water?"

"I started as soon as I was cleared. I've been swimming early at Rosewood Public."

"Oh, I didn't know."

"We haven't exactly been super close these last few weeks." Emily's look said she thought the distance between them wasn't solely her fault.

"I'm sorry about that. I've just been slammed this last little while trying to keep the whole team from walking off deck."

"Oh. I thought maybe your dad had said something."

"Em, no." Paige put her hand on Emily's, hoping to relieve the girl's hangdog expression. "This isn't about him, at all. It's not even just about the team. It's about you. I can't imagine Maya would want me hanging around all the time. I didn't want to cause any extra stress in your life or make you get sick again."

"You're always taking care of me."

"You handle yourself pretty well, Fields." Paige released a tanned hand with a final squeeze, sitting back as Emily's mom made her way over.

"So, who's hungry?" Mrs. Fields asked as she sat down, smiling at them both.

**888**

The rest of the afternoon was uneventful. Paige said her goodbyes to Mrs. Fields, promising she would make time for another meal when she came back from Texas for state finals. After practice she went home, sharing a quiet dinner with her mom. Her dad was nowhere to be found, likely still at the office neck deep in paperwork for his company's year end accounting.

"Any plans tonight?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Paige admitted, accepting the dried dishes to put away. "I have to go to coffee."

"Don't sound so enthused. Are you fighting with Pru again?"

"No, although I almost hit her when she set this up."

Her mother looked at her, confused.

"A date. Pru set me up on a stupid date with some girl who's visiting from North Carolina." Paige blew out of a breath, easily hauling her body onto the kitchen counter, sullenly kicking her heels against the cabinet.

"Honey, if you don't want to go, why are you going?"

"Because Pru won't leave me alone until I do. She thinks I need to 'get over Emily' and this is the way to do it." Paige still felt odd about it, talking about her failed relationship with Emily as though it were something normal to do in her household.

"She might be right, Sweetheart. It's good to date, test out the waters, see if there's a type you like."

Paige knew exactly what her type was but didn't bother to voice the obvious. Logically, dating was a perfectly reasonable thing to do but her heart balked at the idea whenever it crossed her mind.

"Just go have fun. Get to know one another. You never know what might catch your interest. I didn't think I'd like your father when I first went out with him."

"You didn't? I thought it was 'written in the stars', that's the way Dad talks about it."

Her mother's light laugh carried across the kitchen. "I'm sure he would. He must have asked me ten times before I said 'yes'. That was more to shut him up than anything. He was stubborn and willful, but he was also kind and moral. When looked at me, he loved me for everything, my faults and my achievements. You two are very much cut from the same cloth." Her mother wrapped an arm around Paige, pulling her into her body. "This girl may not be right for you, at this age, probably not. But you have to kiss some frogs to meet your prince. Or princess."

"Thanks, Mom." Paige accepted the final squeeze before she pushed herself off the counter.

It was short work to get ready, she had little enough that was 'date appropriate' as Pru had put it. Her friend had texted her the required outfit and Paige had acquiesced though she pointedly crossed off 'slutty skirt' in favour of jeans.

With her mother's blessing, she borrowed the car and drove over to the Apple Rose Grill, feeling somewhat better about the date. Pru was right, it was a good opportunity. And Shana had seemed nice enough when they had talked on the phone Monday evening. They hadn't spoken long, Paige had been just about to hit the pool, but the girl had been pleasant and considerate of her intense schedule.

She slid into a table, nearly an hour early, pulling out a book she needed to read for class. She was halfway through 'Lord of the Flies', disturbed by how quickly the characters had descended into lawlessness, when the doorbell jingled. She looked up, frowning as Noel Kahn walked in, ridiculous smile in place as he headed for the take out counter.

The high school grapevine said he and Mona had broken up which meant he was no doubt on the prowl for his next target. Wonderful. He picked up his food and made his way back across the floor, nearly bowling over a familiar figure as she entered. They greeted each other warmly, Noel hugging Maya in a way Paige thought might be a touch too familiar.

What the hell?

She knew Noel was into music but she couldn't remember seeing the two of them together when Maya lived in Rosewood. When had they gotten so friendly? Paige sank lower in her seat, holding up her book as a shield. She had no interest in Noel somehow dragging she and Maya into conflict and that seemed to be his specialty.

The opening door let Emily and her mother in and Paige glanced around the edge of her book to watch Noel leave. She didn't hear the beginning of the trio's conversation, ears picking up just as Maya declared Noel as 'sweet'.

"He's not." Emily countered. "But his smile takes up half his face so I can see where you would be confused."

Paige snorted into her coffee at the comment, glad that Emily had Kahn's game down. There were more pleasantries, more on Pam's side than Maya's as they waited for their table. Maya seemed determined to set out little digs wherever she found room in the conversation. Paige didn't think it was particularly appropriate. If she had pulled that stunt in front of her own parents, her father would have shamed her into silence in front of the whole restaurant. Still, Paige supposed she could understand. Pam had the events in motion that had sent Maya to True North. Evidently someone was still holding a grudge.

Paige turned her head as the trio passed, hoping they missed her as they sat down in the corner near the back. With half an hour left before her date, Paige seriously considered bailing on the Grill and returning later. She had even begun to tuck her book away when Shana, obviously surprised to find Paige already seated.

Damn.

"Wow, hi." Shana walked up. "I got the time right, didn't I? Or am I wicked late?"

"No, not at all, you're early," Paige assured. "I'm earlier. I thought I'd get some reading done." Paige held up her book, as if she didn't look like a total nerd already.

"Cool, I read that last semester. Mind if I sit?"

"No, please." Paige motioned her down, taking a quick look over her shoulder to check for Emily and Maya. Yep. Still there.

Double damn.

"So, your friend Pru..."

"Don't even get me started on that little nutball."

"She is pretty persistent. Are you sure she's not gay? She's awfully good at getting a girl's number."

"With the speed she works through relationships she may have to date women just so she doesn't double up. As of now, she just thinks of herself as quite the wingman."

The comment earned her a light laugh, Shana turning away momentarily to ask the waitress for a coffee. "Before we get too far into this, I just want to clear something up."

"Uh, sure, clear away." Paige was going in with no expectations, there was nothing to lose.

"I'm not up for a long distance relationship. I'm cool with talking and hanging out but we might not end up here in Rosewood for months, if at all. And I don't really want to rock the 'online relationship' thing."

"That makes two of us," Paige said, finally feeling the band of tension around her chest release completely. "I'm definitely good with being friends. To be honest, I'm still kind of hung up on..."

"Some chick named Emily."

Paige raised an eyebrow before the obvious source of Shana's information came to mind. "Pru."

"Yeah. I'm guessing she doesn't really know the word 'boundaries'."

"Apparently not. Anyway, yes, I mean, the thing with Emily isn't going anywhere but I'm still kind of stuck in a loop."

"Totally get it. My ex had me running in circles for months." Shana said, waving off the revelation. "How about we see how this goes and when I get back into town, we see where we stand?"

"Deal."

"Awesome. Now, what's good here?" Shana held up the desert menu. "My mom is on a health kick and I'm in desperate need of something fattening."

Paige smiled, settling into the conversation with greater ease than she thought possible. After they ordered two desserts to go with their coffee, Shana excused herself to the washroom, Paige's eyes unconsciously following her as she walked by. Shana turned just before she ducked into the washroom, winking at Paige's stare.

Paige's embarrassed flush raced up her face at break neck speed, somewhat surprised she didn't make herself pass out from the sudden rush of blood. She shook it off, catching sight of Emily's table, her teammate looking alternately unimpressed, disbelieving then flat out pissed as Maya spoke. Paige couldn't hear what they were saying but it wasn't good. Turning back to her own table, Paige couldn't help but roll her eyes at Maya's behaviour. It wasn't hard to stay in Emily's good graces, the main rule was not to be a total dick. Paige had failed, more than once, but it wasn't hard to keep her teammate happy.

Shana returned and sat down, drawing Paige's attention from Emily's troubles with her easy charm. They finished their desserts, sharing some of each others companionably as they talked about their respective schools and sports. When they were ready to leave, Paige stood, reaching for the bill.

"I got it." Shana slid the slip from beneath Paige's fingers. "Isn't that why they call it a date?"

"Uh..." Paige foundered, the familiar words hitting her like a brick as Shana headed for the hostess to pay. She followed, somewhat uneasy with the idea of someone else paying her way. When Emily had done it, it hadn't been odd, more like Em showing she cared for her. This felt more like a power play, as though Shana were showing she was comfortable being the alpha.

Leaving the feeling for later consideration, Paige took a last look at an oblivious Emily who was deep in conversation with Maya as Pam walked toward the hostess. She ducked out before Mrs. Fields caught sight of her, not wanting to get dragged anywhere near the drama that was unfolding.

Shana waited for her and they walked across the town square, Paige pointing out the variety of shops that made up downtown Rosewood. They stopped in front of a clothing store window to check out the newest line up, Paige twitching her surprise as Shana slid an arm through the crook of her elbow.

"Cool?" Shana asked, lifting Paige's arm to show what she meant.

"Uh, yeah, cool," Paige said, the situation almost surreal. She was on a date, with a girl, in the open. A girl who wasn't Emily. Paige's self from six months ago would have shit the bed. They continued to walk the square for nearly an hour, Paige pointing out the best shops and restaurants. When they circled back to the rental Shana had borrowed from her parents, they stopped.

"I'd better get back to the hotel, Dad has house showings scheduled all day in Philly."

"No worries. I have to be at the pool for five thirty so I should get home anyway."

Shana unhooked their arms, holding one of Paige's hands as she leaned against her car. "I had a really good time."

"Me too."

"Can call you when I get back here in the summer, see where everything is at?"

"Sure." It had been an enjoyable evening. There hadn't been crazy sparks the way there had been with Emily but maybe that was normal. No family drama. No team rivalry. No 'A'. Normal could be good.

"Cool." Shana gave a light tug on her hand, Paige obligingly stepping forward at the silent instruction. She wasn't sure what she expected, a hug, maybe a kiss on the cheek. Shana went for broke, brushing a soft kiss on Paige's lips. Paige stepped back as it ended, smiling nervously as she cleared her throat. Shana seemed to enjoy that she had flustered her, roguish smile in place as she spoke. "I'll text you?"

"Sure." Paige nodded, watching as Shana slid into her car and turned the engine over, driving away. She had been on her heels the entire night, Shana leading the conversation and the pace of the date. It wasn't something she was accustomed to. With Emily, they were usually on similar wavelengths, the give and take natural. She didn't realize it was going to be totally different. Weird.

Paige shook it off, it was something she could deal with later, assuming Shana was even interested when she returned. Tucking her hands into her pockets, Paige looked over to the parkette next to where she had parked her car. She was surprised to find Emily and her mom on a bench chatting, Maya nowhere in sight. Mrs. Fields caught eyes with her, offering a friendly wave that Paige returned, nodding at Emily as well before she headed for her car.

What a night.


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer**: Who has two thumbs and doesn't own the rights to these characters? This gal!

**Author's Notes:** This chapter contains spoilers up to Season 2, Episode 19, "The Naked Truth".

Please, don't forget to tip your bards. If you take the time to read, do us authors a solid and take the extra second to review.

Thank you, everyone, for the faves/follows and reviews. Much appreciated! Comments and constructive criticisms are always welcome.

**Secondary Note:** I've created an eBook style PDF, complete with cover, for 'Season 1' of 'Seven For A Secret'. Season one includes chapters one through fourteen, inclusive. If you'd like to have a copy, head on over to **www dot teriasmcklay dot com** to download it.

Enjoy!

**888**

Friday morning was oddly scheduled, Paige had practice with Keith but not the Sharks. Acting on a hunch, she pedaled over to Rosewood public afterward, a good bet considering she found Emily's Toyota parked outside. Her teammate was already in the water and Paige walked on deck, taking one of the children's floaties from the basket to bounce it off the water in front of Emily.

"What the... Paige?"

"Looking a little sloppy out there, Fields. Feel like some real competition?" Paige sat at the edge, letting her feet dip into tepid water as she kicked her legs. Emily swam over, pulling her goggles up as she tread water.

"What are you doing here?"

"Morgan's new schedule. We don't practice the morning of a meet." Paige hoped her eye roll illustrated what she thought of that adjustment.

"That's... weird." Emily hauled herself out of the pool to sit on deck beside Paige.

"Tell me about it. Seriously, no offence, but that didn't look pretty."

"It's not. My head's not in it right now. I kind of had a fight with Maya last night."

"Ah." Paige didn't offer any more than that, she didn't want to pry. She had obviously shot her idea of keeping distance all to hell but she wasn't going to actively dig into Emily's problems if the girl didn't offer.

"It's not a big deal. I don't think it's a big deal."

Paige wasn't sure which of them Emily was trying to convince.

"It's stupid." Emily's voice was a barely heard mutter, the gentle whir of the overhead fans nearly drowning the words.

Paige took a deep breath as she looked up the ceiling, nodding to herself in acceptance of her own weakness. "Do you want to talk about it?" Even as she spoke, she prayed Emily blew her off, that they could just get in the water and get to work. At least now she could be comfortable knowing she had made the effort to be a good friend.

"I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"It's fine, Em, really. What's up? Did Maya get into a fight with your mom?"

Emily looked at her, confusion colouring her expression. "How did you..."

"I was the Grill last night, I saw you guys come in. You didn't look too happy when I left."

"I wasn't. Maya was baiting my mom and it was just, immature. It sucked, to be honest. Here I am, trying to tell my mom how great she is and how much she's changed, and Maya just acted like a brat."

Paige hoped there was a special karmic place for people who did this kind of thing. "Maya _did_ get sent to True North, there's probably still some anger there. I'm not saying it's right." Paige held up a hand to quiet the argument she could see brewing in dark eyes. "But you kind of have to understand where Maya is coming from. She spent three months in the middle of nowhere, you'd still be pissed too."

"I guess. It wasn't just that," Emily admitted. "I found out some stuff and I'm not really handling it well."

"Like what?"

"Maya dated while she was up a True North."

"So did you," Paige reminded.

"Yeah, I did. But I didn't date guys."

"Ah." Paige looked out over the water, unsure how to respond to that particular conversational hand grenade. She satisfied herself by lobbing it back to Emily. "Does it bug you that Maya is bisexual?"

"No." Emily was quick to answer, her tone betraying the statement to be at least part falsehood. "Yes. I... don't know. I don't know if that's what it is."

"Well, glad we got that cleared up." Paige's comment was met by a firm punch to the arm that she took in stride.

"You're not helping."

"Sorry, sorry. Did you really think Maya had gone all this time without seeing anyone? I thought you had your suspicions shortly after she got up there."

"I never thought it was a guy!"

"And that bugs you. I'm not sure I…"

"No," Emily said, gears finally beginning to turn. "It's not that it was a guy, it's that she's interested in both. I have to compete with the entire freaking world for her attention. At least when she was just into girls, I had a chance. I mean, how many lesbians are there in Rosewood?"

"Em, she's with you." Emily didn't look completely convinced and Paige decided to go for broke, taking her friend's hand in her own. "Trust me when I say, there is no competition."

"Paige…"

Paige cleared her throat, letting Emily's hand drop back to the pool edge, retreating firmly back into 'friend' territory. "Maya made her choice, you're it. I don't think you have anything to worry about. Maybe you took some of your confusion in to the dinner and saw things through tinted glass."

"No. Maya was definitely rude but you're right. I think I blew it out of proportion, I couldn't really see her side because I trying to work through this." Emily sighed. "I should apologize."

Paige checked the clock at the far end of the pool, it was still quite early. "You could make it before school if you leave now."

"But you came all the way over here..."

"It's fine, your head won't be in the pool until you sort things out with Maya. Get going."

"Thanks, Paige." Emily stood, pausing for a moment to squeeze her shoulder before walking off deck.

It was hard -harder than Paige realized- to push Emily away, knowing she was shepherding her into the arms of a girl she didn't think was worthy. Paige wasn't sure she believed her own words but revealing her true feelings would only make her seem like a jealous ex trying to shove a wedge into Emily's relationship. Damned if Paige would let that happen. Maya would show who she was, one way or the other, and so long as Emily was happy, she wouldn't -couldn't- stand in the way.

**888**

Paige walked into school, passing zombie like students who crowded around their cellphones, chattering in hushed whispers. What the hell was going on? She met up with Pru and Sean beside her locker, the pair of them staring at Sean's phone.

"Okay, did I miss something? Why is everyone acting like a freak?" Paige snagged the phone from Sean's hand, eyes widening at the picture on the screen. "Yikes!" She averted her eyes, turning to Sean. "What the hell, Ackard?!"

"I didn't do it! Hannah sent it to me," Sean defended.

"Looks like she sent it to more than just you." Paige scanned the hallway, no less than twenty students with eyes glued to their phone screens.

"Hannah must really have a hate on for her stepsister," Pru said. "New kid should have known better than to piss off one of Ali's girls."

"Hannah's not like that," Sean defended. "I don't think."

Paige shook her head, deleting the picture before handing the phone back to Sean. Figured, one drama down and some new fresh hell with Emily's friends. She had overheard Hastings threatening the new girl, Kate, in the locker room the day before. Hastings had warned Kate off going after Hannah in some kind of vendetta and Paige had no doubt she would make good on the threat. The girl was a loosely leashed rottweiler at the best of times.

It was sloppy work though, sending the picture from Hannah's phone, that didn't seem like Hastings at all. Shrugging it off as someone else's problem, Paige pulled her textbooks from her locker.

"We've got to get to class. Say goodbye, Pru. I'll be over there getting coffee." She waved to Sean and walked away, having absolutely no desire to watch her two best friends macking on each other in the hallway. She ordered her coffee and Pru's, catching sight of Ali's former foursome huddled together, whispering in a tight group.

There were days, today in particular, where it felt like Ali was still around. As though she were running them all like a giant puppet show, the world dancing to the tune in that bitch's head.

Coffee in hand, Paige headed back to Pru, hoping she had given enough time for the couple to sort themselves out. Emily broke away from the group as Paige passed, sidling up beside her as she walked.

"Hey."

"Hey, everything okay?"

"Yeah, better than okay, it's great." Emily's smile told Paige more than she wanted to know. "I just wanted to thank you for listening this morning."

"Em, it wasn't a big deal."

"It was. I needed a sounding board and you were there for me, I really appreciate it."

"Don't worry about it, really. I'm just glad you're okay." Paige needed to get out, get away from a conversation that was the equivalent of a shiv being driven into her ribcage. "I better get this coffee to Pru, she turns into a Hastings if I don't keep her caffeinated."

"Oh, okay." Paige did her best not to notice the slightly crestfallen look of her friend. "I guess I'll see you?"

"You bet." Paige tipped her cup in salute and walked away, forcing herself not to break into an escape sprint. Pru was waiting for her at the class door, accepting the coffee cup with thanks.

"Coffee first thing and I didn't even have to ask. Maybe I should be dating you."

"I think you're a little high maintenance for me," Paige countered, following her friend in to the room.

"Considering who you dated last time around, I'm the easiest girl in the world."

"You know, I might have heard that from someone." Paige stuck her tongue out, earning a smack on the arm from Pru for the insult.

"Haha, McCullers. You doing this 'Truth Up' day?" Pru pointed to the posters that had been plastered over every free surface in an attempt to pump enthusiasm for the event.

"If we do, I think it counts for twenty four volunteer hours. You would only need to do another seventy six to get out your hundred for the year."

"Whose idea was it to make volunteering a requisite for graduating?"

"I think they're trying to teach us community involvement, Pru." Paige had more than enough hours from volunteering at church and helping with the Sharks sports teams. Pru, however, was way behind and Paige knew the other girl wouldn't volunteer to stay overnight without some back up. "Is Sean doing it?"

"Nope. Pastor's son, totally had all of his done over the summer. Jerk."

"Don't be bitter, you'll wrinkle. I'll sign up with you and you can knock off a bunch of hours in one shot, deal?"

"Fine."

The exaggerated eye roll was more for show than anything. Pru had nothing against helping other people but she had the reputation of a semi-rebellious teenager to maintain. When class was over, they went to sign up, Paige grimacing a little to see that Hastings had signed on as well. The girl had to have a million hours banked from her internship with the mayor, why the hell would she bother showing up to this touchy feely crap?

"Why do you look like you sucked on a lemon?" Pru's eyes found Spencer on the sign up sheet. "Oh. Well, look on the bright side. Now you have the opportunity to murder Spencer in her sleep. Or you know..."

"Pru..." The girl's name was a warning, her best friend laughinga touch maniacally as she walked away.

**888**

"This is ridiculous," Paige said, three days later, a sleeping bag slung over her shoulder. The 'workshops' were meant to help students and teachers get more in touch with one another's views, which was fine. She just had no idea why she was being forced to sleep on a cold tile floor when they could have all gone home after the fact. "I knew those twenty four hours were too good to be true."

"You talked me into this, no way you're bailing now," Pru said, her own sleeping bag and pillow tucked under her arm.

"I didn't say I was bailing, I just..." A particularly jarring bump from behind sent her forward and Paige turned to glare the student into submission. "Em? What are you doing here?"

"Hannah got roped into it and Spencer was already doing it so Aria and I signed up for solidarity."

"Hastings made you, huh?"

Emily's silent smile told her all she needed to know and Paige shook her head, turning her attention back to Pru.

"Coach Morgan actually let you guys skip practice for this? Did you have to offer your firstborn?"

Paige smirked at Pru's question, motioning her friend forward when a line cleared. Pru was sorted into a line off to the left, leaving Paige and Emily together while they waited for the next spot.

"Sounds like you're not getting along so great with Morgan," Emily offered, obviously trying to engage Paige in conversation after their awkward interaction earlier in the week.

"Not particularly, no. Neither are the others. She's ruffled a few feathers and everyone is still stinging over the way Coach Fulton left."

"Have you heard anything?"

"Nothing. Dad either."

"That sucks, why wouldn't she tell us?"

"I'm sure she had her reasons, Em. Coach always does." Paige's hand went to her ever present stopwatch, its heavy weight a comfort. "How about you, any news on getting back on the team?"

"Nothing. It's not just Morgan holding me up. Tamborelli doesn't want me on the team either."

"What? Why? He hates to lose." 'A's words passed Paige's lips before she realized she had spoken, startling herself that she was blindly taking a psychopath's observation as fact.

"Apparently that's the problem. He's got a sponsor lined up and he's worried a 'tarnished player' will put it at risk. I overheard the secretaries talking when I went in to ask him about going back."

"That's dumb, why would he put one opportunity at risk for another? If he had let you swim, we could have taken State." Paige pursed her lips. If both the coach and the administration didn't want Emily on the team, her only recourse would be to take it to a higher level and the season would be over by then. "I'm sorry, Em. That sucks."

"It's not your fault." Emily shrugged, evidently accepting the fact that there were some things she couldn't change. "I'll try out for the team again next year, maybe by then all of this will have died down."

Further conversation was cut off as Paige was called forward to a line, waving goodbye to Emily as she went to collect her registration packet and group assignment. She wasn't with Pru, which was a bummer, but she didn't end up with Ben or Noel Kahn, which brightened her mood considerably. Trying to sleep next to the kid with the Joker smile was liable to give her nightmares. She did find herself in Emily's group for one of the sessions, nodding at her teammate before she headed over to Tanya and Vicky. Mona smiled at her as she walked by, a bright grin -that Paige had no idea how to read- on her face as she passed.

"Hey there, Paige McCullers."

"Hey, Mona."

"She's kind of weird, isn't she? Whenever she says your name it's like she's about to break into a song about you or something. Anyway, how many people do you think showed up to practice today?" Vicky asked while Tanya went off to fill their water bottles.

"I've seen at least half of us here so I'm guessing not many. Morgan's going to be pissed."

"Who cares? We'll have practice tomorrow morning, before the meet, like we're supposed to."

Paige squeezed Vicky's arm, the other junior was taking Fulton's leaving hard and was having difficulty adjusting to the new regime. "Just a couple more weeks. We'll get through to State and then we'll have the whole off season to figure out what the hell we're doing."

"I know, you're right, eyes on the prize. It would help if some of the seniors acted like they gave a shit."

"Erissa already has her scholarship locked and Mel and Lisa aren't swimming at university level. They don't give a shit. It's up to us. Now, c'mon, let's get this over with." Paige pulled her teammates over to where the group was assembling, Mrs. Marin at the front with a clipboard in hand. Paige frowned at the lines of tape on the floor, wondering what was up the teacher's collective sleeves this time.

"I'm surprised you volunteered for this, you don't really seem like the 'get in touch with your emotions' type."

"I'm not, I'm more of the 'bludgeon your emotions with a hockey stick' type but I did slug Ben so maybe I need a lesson on how to play well with others."

"I think it's Ben that needs the lesson but that'd be like trying to scream down a brick wall down."

The three of them stood beside one another, alternately taking steps as one or another of Mrs. Marin's questions resounded with them. Paige pursed her lips as she watched Emily take two steps, a silent protest that for some of the questions, one step simply wasn't enough.

Tamborelli evidently thought otherwise, calling Emily over as Mrs. Marin continued on. Paige frowned at the interaction, she couldn't hear what Tamborelli was saying but whatever it was, he was upsetting Emily. An elbow from Vicky pulled her head back in the game and Paige stepped forward, eyes never leaving Emily as the girl returned to her place.

When the exercise was over, they were given a fifteen minute break. Paige wanted to check on Emily but the girl high tailed it out of the room like she was on fire, a grim set to her mouth. Deciding it was best that her friend have a minute to herself, Paige took the opportunity to power down a shake her mom had made.

The rest of the evening passed in much the same manner, a class of active listening or secret sharing followed by short breaks. It was all a little new age for Paige, but then she had been off the rails back in her day, maybe it wasn't such a load of crap if it worked. Made the school a kinder, gentler place. Maybe 'A' needed some Truth Up therapy.

Paige was on her way back from the washroom when she saw Emily staring at the trophy case, the longing evident in dark eyes as she scoured the pictures from previous years. The last two years had been rebuilding seasons for the team, this year had been the one to win it. The Sharks had a solid lineup, they were used to each other in the water, perfect timing. And Emily was on the sidelines.

Paige sighed, ducking around the corner without approaching her friend. There was nothing she could say, nothing she could do to fix what was happening.

The cafeteria put on a late supper, the students were allowed to mingle with one another and Paige caught up to Pru who looked like she would rather be in prison. They ate together, the din of the group loud enough that Paige completely missed whatever the announcement on the intercom was. She looked to Pru who shrugged her shoulders, equally unaware. If it was important enough, they would say it again.

Paige went back to her supper, glaring balefully a string bean that had been soaked in butter. She put the fork down, unable to justify putting that amount of crap in her body this late in the season. Her vibrating phone pulled her attention away from her meal and she reached into her hoodie pocket, glancing at the message.

"Hey, that Sean? Tell him I hate him for leaving us here." Pru said, stabbing at the last of Paige's beans.

"Uh, no, just my mom checking up."

**Want to reassemble the dream team? Distract Tamborelli.-A**

Paige snapped the phone closed, pasting on her best smile for Pru as she looked around for anyone else with a cellphone. Whoever it was, they were doing a good job of hiding it. Her gaze shifted to the courtyard where Tamborelli was speaking with one of the chaperoning parents.

Obey or not to obey?

'A' never gave anything without reason and there was no way to figure out their logic. They had gone to every length to get Emily off the team, starting with Paige. Pulling Emily back in, 'A' had a motive, Paige just didn't know what it was. If she complied and Emily got hurt by being back, she'd never forgive herself. If she didn't, Paige had no doubt 'A' would find a way to take it out on them both.

There was no good choice. It was a risk either way and the price she paid later... there was no telling what it would be. And who knew how the hell 'A' planned to get Em back, what did distracting Tamborelli have to do with anything?

The only thing Paige did know was that Emily needed to be back on the team. Never mind the scholastic implications, her friend was meant to be in the water, Paige could see it. The water was her safe haven, her refuge, just as it was Paige's.

It didn't matter the price, it had to be done. Paige could never be Maya, could never be the person Emily wanted. But maybe she could be what Emily needed.

"Earth to Paige, calling Paige McCullers."

"Huh? Sorry. I just have to talk to Tamborelli about something, be right back." Paige tucked her phone in her pocket. "Watch my stuff?"

"Sure." The question was evident in Pru's eyes but Paige ignored it, heading for the courtyard. She had no idea what she was going to say or do. Or how long she had to keep his attention. Or why the hell she was going along with this in the first place. Every time she thought she had fought her way free of 'A's control, they found a way to drag her back in. First the picture from the barn and now this. She was only strengthening the chains that bound her.

"We few we happy few," she muttered as she came to a stop in front of Tamborelli.

"Ms. McCullers."

"Mr. Tamborelli."

"What can I do for you?"

"I, uh, just wanted to say... how much I've enjoyed the exercises so far." Paige hoped her well cultivated poker face didn't betray the blatant lie. "I think it's really great that you set this up, it lets us see one another in a new light. A lot of us are struggling with the same issues, maybe we don't all have to be enemies."

"I'm glad you're finding something positive with the experience. It's a good switch from the attitude you were carrying not too long ago."

Paige cleared her throat, strangling the desire to lash out at the jibe. She thought putting a bully is his place was actually a good attitude but violence begot violence and she was lucky it hadn't escalated further than it had.

"I'm trying to look at problems from... new angles now," Paige confirmed, long taking Coach Fulton's advice to heart.

"That's good to hear."

A buzz in her pocket and Tamborelli looked at her, unimpressed. No cell phones were allowed during Truth Up.

"It's just my alarm to make sure I take my vitamins," Paige lied, pulling her supplements from her pocket, packed neatly in a clear plastic. Figuring the text was 'A's signal that they had gotten what they needed, Paige nodded at Tamborelli. "I have to go get some water for these. Thanks again, Mr. Tamborelli." She didn't give him a chance to respond, ducking back into the hallways, flipping her phone open as she went.

**Well done, Pigskin. You're totally on my A team.-A**

Paige closed the phone, pursing her lips as she walked back into the cafeteria. Time would tell whether it had done any good. Her only hope was that if she had sold her soul to the devil, she had at least gotten a fair price.

**888**

Paige woke at her usual time, body long tuned to getting up well before dawn. She had no lesson with Keith today, cancelled because of Truth Up, so she was free to sleep a little longer. A sleeping bag on the floor of the cafeteria wasn't ideal but beggars couldn't be choosers.

Something on her side moved and Paige looked down to see Pru's arm slung across her hip, her friend lightly snoring into her ear. At least that explained why her back wasn't cold. It was an odd sensation, waking up next to someone. She and Pru had been friends for years but it was only recently that Paige was comfortable being physically affectionate. That had largely been due to Pru, who seemed to make a point of being physical if only to prove she wasn't scared of Paige. That their relationship hadn't been damaged by Paige's coming out.

Paige appreciated it, the strengthening of her friendship was one of the best things about her coming out. Still, as much as she loved her best friend, there were limits to how far she was willing to go and snoring in her ear was pushing it. Paige shifted a little, hoping that would get Pru to shift as well. It was just enough to get the girl to turn her head, saving Paige's hearing for the time being. She spared a look for Emily, her friend sandwiched between Hannah and Aria, body tucked tightly into her bag.

Satisfied that all was well, Paige drifted back to sleep.

The intercom system kicked in somewhere around six, blaring the reveille horn at an obscene volume that made Pru shoot up as though a bomb had gone off. Paige pushed herself up more slowly, stretching out the kink in her back as she looked over at her irritated friend.

"Rise and shine, ladies and gentlemen. Breakfast in thirty minutes, pack your gear in your lockers and back here."

The cafeteria lights flicked on, the sudden, harsh illumination making Paige wince as it hit her eyes. She sorted out her sleeping bag, waiting for Pru before heading for their lockers. She had no desire to eat the cafeteria breakfast, the pancakes and sausages a delicious temptation that she knew would only bring regret in the pool later. Instead, she grabbed the lunch kit her mom had packed and followed Pru back into the fray.

When breakfast was over, 'Truth Up' declared a success, they were dismissed to get ready for school. Paige headed to the locker room, leaving Pru to do her morning routine in one of the smaller bathrooms as she headed for practice.

She walked in, stopping in her tracks to see Emily on the bench, swimsuit on, cap and goggles in hand, grin stretching from ear to ear.

"Morning, McCullers. Miss me?"


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer****:** Who has two thumbs and doesn't own the rights to these characters? This gal!

**Author's Notes:** My apologies for the atrociously long wait between updates. As I mentioned a few chapters ago, I had a novel due to be published. My publishing house closed, leaving my novel in limbo and I've been somewhat chasing my tail trying to sort out my next move. I'm happy to report that two companies have contacted me to sign the book and by the next chapter update, I should be able to tell you what my new publishing house will be.

This chapter contains spoilers up to Season 2, Episode 20, "CNTRL: A".

Please, don't forget to tip your bards. If you take the time to read, do us authors a solid and take the extra second to review.

Thank you, everyone, for the faves/follows and reviews and for sticking it out with me. Much appreciated! Comments and constructive criticisms are always welcome.

**Secondary Note:** I've created an eBook style PDF, complete with cover, for 'Season 1' of 'Seven For A Secret'. Season one includes chapters one through fourteen, inclusive. If you'd like to have a copy, head on over to **www dot teriasmcklay dot com **to download it.

Enjoy!

**Chapter 29**

"Are you serious?" Paige stared, uncertain that her eyes and ears were trustworthy. No way it was that easy.

"I'm serious. I'm back."

"Oh my God, Em! This is amazing!"

Paige dropped her gear as Emily stood, throwing her arms around her neck, bouncing up and down in her excitement.

"Did one of you two win the lottery or something?" Vicky asked, tossing her bag on to the bench. Paige turned, showcasing Emily in her swimsuit. "No freaking way."

A hearty high five nearly deafened them in the quiet of the locker room. "We are going to rock this joint. Chloe is going to be so relieved to have you back."

Chloe had gotten used to starting but was by no means happy about it. The elated whoops of various teammates as they heard the news took up their fifteen minutes before Morgan walked in to call them to order.

Paige didn't miss the scowl directed at her and Emily, Morgan no doubt assuming she had a hang in bringing the other girl back. The team shuffled past the coach, excitement turned to muted murmurs as they headed for the pool.

Paige was the last to leave, stopped by the arm that crossed in front of her to block her exit. Turning to the coach, she raised an eyebrow in question.

"What did you, McCullers? Get your father to make Tamborelli an offer he couldn't refuse?"

Paige brushed past Morgan's arm, unable to keep her words back, tossed carelessly over over her shoulder as she passed. "What was that you said about teaching me to fail?"

**888**

"Does she always murder you before a meet?" Emily asked, face flushed from a rigorous practice as they walked down the hall toward class.

"I think you might have hyped up the homicide level a little," Paige admitted, rotating her shoulder to loosen it. "She's not happy with me either."

"Really? Here I thought staring daggers into your back was a sign of affection. What happened between you two?"

"Got off on the wrong foot when Coach Fulton left and we've been stepping on each other's toes ever since." It wasn't the whole truth but Emily didn't need any more guilt to carry. Knowing the animosity had only hit its fever pitch when Paige had gone to bat to for Emily wouldn't do anyone any good. "It doesn't matter. One more week of practice, state tournament and I won't have to look at her until fall."

"Such lofty goals," Emily said with a smile and a friendly hip check. Paige couldn't help but smile back, her companion happier than she been in months. "Buy you a coffee?"

Paige's eyes found Pru and Sean, the latter holding a tall coffee cup from the Brew.

"Looks like my caffeine needs have been met," Paige said, pointing to her friends. "Rain cheque?"

"Count on it." Another smile, a wave and Emily made her way over to Aria and Hannah.

"That was…chummy." Pru offered as Sean handed Paige her coffee.

"No cream or sugar. Meet day, right?" he asked, gamely holding Pru's books now that he had a hand free.

"They're going to raise statues in your honour. Between the floor and her snoring," Paige pointed at Pru, "I barely slept."

"I do not snore!"

"You're right, I must have completely imagined the chainsaw buzzing in my ear."

Sean's chuckle was quickly shut down by Pru's punch to his shoulder, Paige easily dancing out of range, her laughter ringing out down the hall.

**888**

The meet wasn't one of their best. While Emily was back on the roster, she hadn't been placed back on the line up, much to the team's chagrin. Chloe put up a good fight against her opponent but couldn't find her rhythm, lagging well behind all but one of the starters. Vicky made up some of the distance and Tanya kept pace allowing Paige to close the gap by a hair. It was enough to squeeze out a win but by no means a victory.

Morgan's speech was as encouraging as usual, most of the team sprinting for safety the moment the irritated coach headed for her office.

Paige was slower to move, forced to baby her arm as she changed out of her gear. Between the poor sleeping conditions, the aggressive over training during their morning practice and flooring it at the meet, she knew she was due for a bout of shoulder pain. It first presented itself as she tugged on her bra, sharp gasp pulled from her mouth before she could call it back. Vicky and Tanya looked over, concern evident as they shouldered their gear bags.

"I'm good, just a little sore," she assured. Vicky didn't look like she believed her but knew well enough not to push.

"Don't forget, pizza tomorrow. It can be a 'welcome back' party too." Tanya said pulling the conversation away from Paige. Emily smiled at the acknowledgement.

"Sounds like a plan, I'm in."

With twin waves, Vicky and Tanya took off, leaving Emily and Paige on their own to finish changing.

"You going to lie to me too?" Emily asked as Paige searched fruitlessly for a shirt she didn't have to pull over her head.

"Sorry?"

"Your shoulder. I can tell the difference between your 'workout' sore and 'damaged' sore."

There was no point in lying. As much as she needed to be strong for her team, Emily was the one person she was comfortable admitting weakness to. "It flared up on me when I was in the lake. Between sleeping on the tile last night and all the swimming, it's just acting up." Paige shrugged. "Truth be told, I'm not sure I really gave it a chance to heal after my bike accident."

"Can you last the week?"

"To destroy Jessup and Philly at state finals? I'll swim in a sling if I have to."

Emily smirked, motioning for Paige to sit. She obliged, quietly accepting as Emily took her shoulder through the familiar exercises to loosen the muscles around the joint.

"Are you training this weekend?" Emily asked, moving from stretches to massage with near clinical efficiency. Paige did her best to concentrate on the question, a task made considerably harder as Emily's hands capably plied at her shoulder.

"Sunday before church. I might beg off boxing tomorrow, I'll see how it feels in the morning."

"I think it's a good idea either way. Give it a chance to rest."

"Are those Doctor Fields' orders?" Paige asked, turning to face Emily as the massage tapered off.

"You bet. C'mon, let's see if we can't get you into your shirt."

"Typical. Women are always trying to get me to put my clothes back on," Paige quipped, earning a light laugh from her companion.

"Har har, McCullers. As if you wouldn't be a total lady killer if you tried."

Paige rolled her eyes at such a ridiculous thought and took a knee so Emily could help pull her tank top over her head. She stared balefully at her Sharks hoodie, no way that was going on. "Bad day to wear my pullover."

"Trade me." Emily unzipped her own hoodie, helping Paige get her arms in the sleeves before she tugged Paige's hoodie over head. "At least tell me you didn't ride your bike."

"No, I convinced Pru to pick me up after my practice with Keith yesterday because of Truth Up."

Emily shouldered her bag and Paige's, silencing the upcoming protest with a glare that would have sent even the iron willed Hastings scurrying for cover.

"Okay, okay, I give." Paige held up her hands in surrender, tugging on the door with her good arm to allow Emily through.

"That's what I thought I heard."

**888**

Sunday morning saw Paige at the club house for her usual session, hot pack in hand to soothe her arm. Her shoulder was nagging but functional and she hoped a workout would loosen up the muscles. She passed a familiar looking Toyota on the way in before sloughing it off, there was certainly more than one of Emily's car in town.

The locker room was deserted this time of the morning allowing Paige to change in peace. A shuffling somewhere behind her perked her ears and she gripped the keys in hand as she used her senses to search the room. A sniff of the air brought more than just the scent of chlorine and A535, the scent long imprinted in her brain.

"Emily?"

"Okay, that was freaky. How'd you do that?" Emily asked, pulling back the curtain on a change stall.

"I sm…uh, saw your car outside." Paige covered. No need to increase the creep factor by letting Emily know Paige had her perfume memorized. "What are you doing here? Wait, were you going to jump out at me?" She asked, eyes going to where Emily had been hidden.

"I still owed you for that scare at the lake. You took years off my life going into that water, McCullers. And I'm here because your Dad somehow got hold of my Mom. Apparently he won't let my 'lackadaisical training schedule pull down Paige's performance'."

Yeah, that sounded about right. "So... you're training with me?"

"Apparently. I'm not really sure what the hell happened. Honestly, I don't think my mom does either."

A knock on the change room door signaled they were late, Keith was waiting on them. Paige shrugged, motioning her head to the pool entrance. "Shall we?"

**888**

Monday morning found Emily parked outside Paige's house. Emily stared blearily over from the passenger side as Paige slid into the driver's seat of the Toyota. A compromise. Paige wouldn't risk her shoulder biking to practice and Emily wouldn't drive them into a tree in her zombie like state.

Paige hadn't even buckled her seat belt before her friend's quiet snores drifted through the car, Emily passed out against the passenger window. She smirked, tossing the Toyota into gear and heading for the pool. Ten minutes saw them outside the country club, the stutter of the engine shutting off rousing Emily from her nap.

"You're a machine or something. This is unnatural."

"It's not that much earlier than when we used to go in with Coach Fulton."

"That extra hour is precious, Paige. You're just immune to the torture." Emily pushed the door open, stepping out into the early morning. Paige sucked in a deep breath, filling her lungs with crisp air as she stretched.

"Smells like victory, Fields."

"It smells like a sleep disorder, McCullers."

"You gonna whine like this all week?"

"Maybe. Aren't you glad to have me back?"

"I'm always happy to have fresh ass to kick."

"Such a comedian."

**888**

Tuesday morning, Paige slid into the driver's seat, offering a mug of piping hot coffee to her sleepy companion.

"Oh god, I could kiss you."

Paige was tempted to call Emily on her bluff but decided deflection was the better part of valour. "Pru always says the same thing. I think you guys may have a caffeine problem. You should talk to someone about that."

"I guess we shouldn't talk about your carb addiction then," Emily retorted, pulling a paper bag from the dash.

"Uh, what's in there?"

"Oh, nothing. Hannah and I just tested out my mom's cupcake recipe last night." Emily opened the paper bag, the smell of coconut wafting through the car, mixing with the scent of steaming coffee. " But I'm sure you wouldn't want to break your regimen."

"Fields, if you're teasing me..."

**888**

Wednesday morning found Paige where she normally was, locking hate stares with Hastings as the perma PMSer shouldered into her on the way out of class. A run in with Morgan combined with a particularly brutal test had brewed a simmering tantrum that was begging to be unleashed.

And Hastings had officially tipped the scale of the shit she was willing to put up with.

Paige had already stepped forward, menace in her stance when Emily brushed past her, a hand on her bicep that pulled her away from Hastings. Traitorous body unable to resist the gentle touch, Paige followed docilely around the corner, at once amazed and frustrated with the ease Emily could pull her from the brink.

"Peacekeeping duty, Fields?"

"Spencer's in a bad mood and you look ready to kill; I'm conducting a public service. You two will tear the whole school down." Emily said, body blocking Paige's way around the corner as she reached into her bag. "Here, take a minute, eat this and cool off."

Paige eyed the cupcake dubiously as it was handed over. "Are you seriously trying to keep me from murdering Hastings by bribing me with a cupcake?"

"Depends, is it working?"

"Maybe." Paige said, dismayed to find that talking meant sacrificing precious cupcake crumbs. She had wanted to savour the treat and yet somehow she found herself suddenly licking her fingers clean.

"If I split the last one with you, will you at least attempt to play nice with Spencer?"

"For another of those, I'll kiss Hastings if you want."

**888**

Thursday morning saw Emily at Paige's kitchen table while she rushed to finish her oatmeal, a consequence of an unset alarm clock. Her mother had woken Paige up -twenty minutes late- easily shanghaiing Emily into sitting for fresh coffee. Paige did her best to ignore the cryptic smile on her mother's face as she shoveled the last of her oatmeal down. Her father showed up just as Paige shotgunned the last of her vitamins.

"Late start?"

Paige nodded, instinctively tensing when his eyes cut over to Emily who had her cup up to her lips, dark eyes widening as she looked ready to bolt.

"Good morning, Miss Fields."

"Good morning, Mr. McCullers."

"I trust the lessons with Keith are going well."

"Yes, very well, thank you."

"If Paige is going to be the best, she needs the best. The best coaching, the best training and the best teammates." He left it at that, walking past them with a brief squeeze to Paige's shoulder as he passed on the way to the kitchen.

"Wow, that was…"

"I know, right?" Paige said, somewhat dumbfounded by the downright friendliness of it all. Maybe she could drop the news now, casually, no big deal. Something for Emily to chew on. And then she checked her watch. "Crap! We're late, like, late late."

"Then I'm driving, today. You drive like my grandmother, McCullers," Emily said, pushing up from the table.

"Yeah, well you drive like a… like a…" Paige fumbled as she searched for the right word.

"Go ahead; you keep thinking, I'll be in the car waiting. Don't take too long though; I only have half a tank of gas."

"Damn it, Fields, you wait until this caffeine kicks in!"

**888**

Friday morning was slightly more relaxed. Neither the Sharks or Keith had practice and the first heats of the state tournament didn't start until eight.

Paige stretched as she got out of bed, grimacing as her shoulder voiced its discontent. Ignoring it as best she could, she tugged her hair back and prepared for the day.

Her parents were both at the table when she made her way upstairs, clad in her Sharks warm-ups, Emily's hoodie zipped over. She couldn't help but smile, the soft sweatshirt still smelled like her teammate.

"Morning, Honey."

"Morning, Mom." She kissed her mother as she passed, taking a seat next to her father who put his paper down.

"How you feeling today?"

"Ready to win, Dad."

He smiled, clapping her on the shoulder. "This is it, what we've worked for all season. I hate that we can't be there today."

"You'll both be there tomorrow, today is just about weeding out the weaklings."

"Get it done." The words were said in encouragement, a far cry from the flat out order for victory that used to be his way. This was what Paige wanted, sharing their competitive nature, fighting against someone else rather than fighting against each other. "Dad. What you did for Emily…"

He cut her off, raising a hand to silence her thanks. "It wasn't about her, Paige, it was about you. You need someone in the water you can count on, work with. I won't lie, I wish it were…someone else, but it's Miss Fields. I'll do whatever I have to, swallow whatever pride I have to, if it means helping you succeed."

She hugged him, leaning into his strength, trusting in his faith in her. "Then I can't fail."

**888**

"Anyone seen Chloe?" Paige asked, pulling off her warm ups. Emily scanned the locker room, evidently coming up short, just as Paige had.

"She's heaving her cookies in the bathroom," Tanya offered, walking from the stalls with a decidedly green tinge to her face.

"Damn it. Em, make sure all of senior squad are set up. Vicky, Tanya, you're on JV duty."

Her teammates gave her the loose salute they had grown so fond of before heading out to corral the others.

"Chloe," Paige knocked on the stall door, tamping down on her own stomach's urge to rebel at the sound of unproductive dry heaves. "Is there anything left in your stomach?"

"I'm not even sure my stomach is still in my stomach."

"You going to open up or do I have to slide under the door?" The stall door opened, revealing a gaunt Chloe. "Nerves?"

"I'm a sophomore, I'm a JV and I'm not a starter. I've never been a starter, I don't like being a starter and now Morgan's got me starting Senior level at States. I'm not ready for this."

"Sure you are. You've been doing fine."

"I've been getting my ass kicked up and down the pool by girls with twice the experience. I'm going to tank us. I can handle taking my own heats but I can't bring the squad down with me."

"You won't. Chloe, you're just as capable as anyone out there. Coach Morgan wouldn't have put you on the line up if she didn't think so," Paige said, hoping she hadn't just made herself a liar.

"I can't do it, Paige. I can't."

"You can. It's just nerves. I promise it'll disappear once you're on the block." Paige wanted nothing more than to tell Chloe it was okay to quit. They had a built in replacement with Emily who hadn't even been put into a relay team. But it wouldn't be fair to Chloe. The girl had worked hard to hold the fort, going way out of her comfort zone to help the team. Emily would get to compete in the individual heats and still contribute to the teams' overall points. Chloe deserved a chance.

"What's going on?" Morgan appeared as if from nowhere, staring at the pair of them as Paige rubbed Chloe's back.

"Chloe's just having a bit of a…" Paige closed her eyes as she heard the other girl turn and drop. Apparently her stomach's ceasefire had been temporary. "…moment. I'll get some water into her."

"First relay heat is in twenty minutes."

"I know, she'll be fine." Paige backed into the stall and closed the door to give Chloe some modicum of privacy. Holding blonde hair back, she rubbed Chloe's back soothingly hoping the girl's body would give her a break. A bottle of sports drink was rolled under the stall, hitting Paige's foot.

"I found it in her bag, she needs to rehydrate," Em said. "She okay?"

Paige popped the top on the drink, handing it to a slowly standing Chloe before she slipped out of the stall. "I don't know if either one of us will ever eat again but I think she'll be fine. Any more electrolytes kicking around? I think she'll need more than one bottle."

"I'm fine," Chloe assured, stepping out of the stall and handing off the empty bottle to walk on deck on wobbly legs. Paige and Emily looked at one another, frowning.

"There's a couple more drinks in her bag."

"All right, keep an eye on her. I'll go grab them and bring them on deck with us."

"Meet you out there."

Paige headed for her locker, plastic bottle cracking in her grip as nerves attempted to take hold. A sick starter was not an auspicious beginning. She hadn't come this far just for bad luck to drag them down. Speaking of luck.

Paige pulled open her locker door, slipping her stopwatch into the pocket of her long jacket. Her phone vibrated, skipping across her locker shelf. Pru no doubt, wishing her luck for the millionth time today. A quick flip to open her phone left her lips pursed as Paige read the message.

**Poor Chloe, labels are for her safety. –A**

"What the…"

The door burst open and Chloe pelted across the floor, the sound of a half litre of electrolyte hitting the toilet echoing through the room. Paige's gaze fell to the empty bottle in her hand, twisting it to read the label.

"Do not consume if seal is broken." She tossed the empty bottle to the side, unzipping Chloe's bag to pull out the remaining six pack of electrolytes. She carefully twisted off the top, eyes catching the tiniest pin prink on the aluminum wrap. "Son of a bitch."

Paige scooped the remaining bottles from Chloe's bag, tossing them into the garbage just as Morgan rushed past her, headed for the stalls.

Paige followed, clamping a hand over her mouth at the mess as her own stomach jerked reflexively.

"This isn't nerves," Morgan said, disgust evident as Chloe clung to the toilet bowl. Paige forced herself to bite back the 'no shit' that nearly fell from her lips.

"I haven't felt right since breakfast," Chloe admitted between heaves. "Maybe I got some bad…" The rest of the sentence was cut off by a particularly violent expulsion.

"Go tell Fields to warm up and pray whatever the hell this is, isn't catchy."

Paige nodded, handing Chloe her own electrolyte drink.

"That didn't stay down so well." Chloe eyed the drink as though it had set out specifically to make her stomach revolt.

"It's mine, it's higher quality than yours. It shouldn't be so hard on your stomach," Paige lied. She had been sipping at it all morning with no adverse affects, at least she knew she wasn't about to poison the girl.

Paige left Morgan to deal with the puke, secretly glad the aloof woman finally had to get her hands dirty.

The Sharks were on deck stretching, a litany of teams gathered around the crowded area.

"Change of plans. Em, you're starting."

**888**

Friday's meets went smoothly enough. Both sets of JV teams made their way through to finals while one of the Senior relays were cut after the third round.

Paige topped out her own heats, Emily dogging her every step to allow Rosewood to clean house and make up the extra points they needed when Mel and Lisa's Senior relay team were ousted by an upstart team out of Scranton.

Between individual heat performance and the performance of the remaining relay teams, Rosewood managed to collect enough points to stay competitive, handily earning their way into the second day of competition.

Friday night, Paige gathered the team together at the Brew, an early meeting before she sent them home under strict orders to be in bed well before normal. They briefly touched on tactics, how the remaining Senior relay team was positioned to face off against the others.

With both JV teams strong contenders in their own division, it was more than likely they would medal out. It would take a strong day of individual performances to get the senior squad into finals, a challenge that Paige put to each of them. For all the months they had trained, all the crap they had put up with, they only had one more day to go.

Saturday morning saw the JV division wrapped up early, the Sharks claiming a silver and bronze in relays and second overall. Paige was glad when that was over, finally able to turn her full attention to the holding the senior squad together as their first sets of relays neared. She needn't have worried. Tanya and Vicky had brought every bit of game they had, flooring it from the word 'go'. So it was, that at the end of the second day, a somewhat underdog team, plagued with injury and bad luck, found itself in the final round of the State Championships.

Paige looked to the stands, her Mom and Dad were front row center, Pru at her mother's side, Sean at her father's. True to form, Pru had made a sign 'Full Fat Latte To The Winner', waving it madly in the air as Paige looked over.

"Pru sure knows how to motivate a girl," Emily said, shoulder checking Paige companionably as they stood together.

Mrs. Fields was closer to the starting blocks, video camera zeroed in on the starting blocks with Maya at her side. Paige slid out of her jacket, handing it to Piper before pulling out her stopwatch to hold.

"Oh my god, Paige, look!"

Paige followed Emily's pointed finger, easily picking out the familiar form of her mentor in the stands.

"Coach." She held up her watch, hoping the shine of the metal was visible in the crowd to let Fulton know she was on deck with them. The announcer began to call out the block lineups, the last eight teams shuffling to their lanes.

"You ready for this?"

"I was born ready," Paige replied, following her friend to the block. She grabbed Emily's arm, giving the girl a light tug to turn her. "Em, no matter what happens, this season, you… it's… it's meant the world to me."

"Me too. Don't worry about this, I got your back, Paige." Emily hugged her tightly, Tanya and Vicky joining in. They circled up, four heads tucked tight together as Paige spoke.

"This is it, everything we've worked for comes down to this. We all know who's in the stands. I promised Coach Fulton we'd win this for her. Everyone fights, no one quits, you dig for every inch and show these wannabes how winning is done."

A quick cheer and Emily was shuffled to the starting block, tugging her goggles down as Paige set her stopwatch. The shot went off and Emily was in perfect form, as though her time out of the water had been mere moments rather than months. Each stroke was calculated poetry, slicing easily through the water. Most of her opponents may as well have been standing still, a quarter lap behind by the time Emily made her first turn.

Emily's turn was as tight as ever, lean legs launching her down the length of the pool. She touched a half second before five of her opponents, the sixth and seventh still a quarter length away.

Paige clicked the watch, checking the time as Vicky went in, the Sharks egging her on. Even Morgan yelled as she knelt beside the block, stopwatch in hand. Paige squeezed Emily's arm briefly, handing her the stopwatch with her time as she took her place behind Tanya.

Her teammate muttered as she set herself, goggles in place, arms prepped. "Dig for every inch, dig for every inch."

"Dig deep, Tanya. You got this," Paige encouraged. Vicky was level with three of the others, a fourth passing her at the last second to claim first place. Tanya's slight twitch was her only acknowledgement of the lost lead before she threw herself into the water. Paige hopped onto the block, pulling her goggles down. A last look to her family, a determined Emily, her team, and finally, to the woman in the stands. The person who had believed in her when Paige had thought there was nothing to believe in.

"Be your best version."

It was slow motion. Paige had heard that once, important points, pivotal moments, seemed to pass at a fraction of their actual speed.

She could swear she felt the nerve bundles in her legs twitch as her brain relayed the order to dive. Muscles, made taught and toned over over hundreds -thousands- of hours of training, obeyed her command with vicious accuracy. She was in the water and halfway down the pool before her brain truly recognized she was off the block.

Every stroke was instinct, finely honed, each breath a calculation.

Her flip turn was better than everyone else, a hybrid of her old technique and Emily's that left everyone but Philly in her dust. The lanky powerhouse was dead even with her for a quarter length and then one mistimed pull set Paige behind. No. Damn it. Not like this. Not after everything she had gone through. This was it, the last inch in the miles she had run to get here.

It wasn't just about winning or scholarships, it was about her. A sudden moment of realization, a memory from months ago, an undeserved moment of kindness from the girl at the end of the pool that had set her on this path. She was swimming for herself. Finally.

And there was no way in hell that some red suited, big city, baby giraffe took her down in front of her family, her coach and her girl.

Everything burned, her shoulder, her hamstrings. Her lungs begged for air to make up for the extra exertion as she put the pedal down. Every stress, every frustration, every moment of joy, every tear she had cried. It was all getting left in this pool.

Paige pulled even with Philly and saw the hiccup, a hesitation as the other girl realized she wasn't going down without a fight. Determined to drop every ounce of energy in the water, Paige pulled ahead by a hand, an extra kick taking it to the length of a long forearm. An eighth of a length to go and she knew it was hers, felt it deep in the pit of her gut that she had made good on her promises. That, for once, she had finally lived up to the person she wanted to be.

Paige slapped the edge of the pool with such force that her arm shook, the cheer through the crowd a deafening roar as it echoed off the ceiling. She didn't even have the opportunity to haul her body from the water, her teammates grabbing her arms to pull her clear as every overtaxed muscle reared up in protest.

"We did it, we actually freaking did it!" Vicky grabbed her arms, shaking her like a maniac before wrapping Paige in a hug that suddenly included the whole team, most of them shrieking their glee. When she was finally released from the dog pile, Emily stood opposite her, holding up the stopwatch.

"Beat me by two tenths of a second." Emily said, smirk in place. "Just had to be the hero, didn't you?"

"What's the matter, Fields?" Paige slung an arm across Emily's shoulders as they walked across the deck toward their parents. "Haven't you gotten used to me kicking your ass yet?"

"Please, if I hadn't taken two months off to let you get yourself together, I'd have wiped the floor with you."

"We have all of next year for me to prove how wrong you are."

Emily laughed, turning under Paige's arm to pull her into a tight hug, the briefest of kisses dropped on her cheek. "You were awesome."

"So were you." Paige took the moment for all it was worth, closing her eyes as her senses took in the rowdy crowd, the hum of the air units, the smell of chlorine that clung to Emily's skin. Knowing Maya was close by, she let the moment go, stepping back to give Emily proper space.

"You're coming to Hannah's place later to celebrate, right?"

"Wouldn't miss it."

A final squeeze and with that, they split from each other, Emily headed for her mother and Maya while Paige walked over to her small entourage.

"That was so awesome!" Paige was startled as Pru pounded soundly on her back. "You totally rocked it!"

Paige accepted a more gentle hug from her best friend and one from Sean who threw in a solid fist bump for good measure.

Her mother hugged her next and her father last, his embrace tight.

"I'm so proud of you."

"I couldn't have done it without you, Dad." Paige looked over his shoulder as he hugged her, searching the stands for Coach Fulton. A look to Emily showed her doing the same, conversing absently with Maya while she scanned. Their eyes met for a moment, before Emily looked beyond her to the exit. Paige followed her gaze, Coach Fulton barely visible in the throng of athletes that were leaving the natatorium.

Her mentor turned, briefly, locking eyes with Paige. A smile, a nod and then, she was gone.


	30. Chapter 30

**Disclaimer:** Who has two thumbs and doesn't own the rights to these characters? This gal!

**Author's Notes:** In 'Real Life' news, I've signed with Bedazzled Ink to publish my novel, 'Guardian: The Surrender'! Thanks for riding out the last few months with me and for all your words of encouragement, much appreciated. Also, check out my new fic 'Gotham Knights', right here on fanfiction dot net.

This chapter contains spoilers up to Season 2, Episode 24, "UnmAsked". As it's the 'Season Finale', this chapter is longer than the others, hope you guys don't mind. ;)

Please, don't forget to tip your bards. If you take the time to read, do us authors a solid and take the extra second to review.

Thank you, everyone, for the faves/follows and reviews. Much appreciated! Comments and constructive criticisms are always welcome.

**Secondary Note:** I've created an eBook style PDF, complete with cover, for 'Season 1' of 'Seven For A Secret'. Season one includes chapters one through fourteen, inclusive. If you'd like to have a copy, head on over to **www dot teriasmcklay dot com **to download it.

Enjoy!

**888**

Paige pulled up to Emily's house just past nine, shouldering her messenger bag as she slid out of the car. It had taken no little amount of coercion to get her father to let her go to the party, convinced her evening would be better spent bragging her up to the others at the club.

Thank God for her mom.

She walked toward Hannah's house, the line of cars down the block showing that the team party was in full swing. She took a deep breath as she approached, knowing tonight would be a full test of her will. She had no doubt Maya would be there and while she was happy that Emily was happy, she wasn't particularly keen on seeing the woman she loved in the arms of someone else.

Steeling herself for the evening ahead, Paige turned up the walkway to the Marin house, ego almost immediately deflating when she saw Maya sitting on the veranda steps. An obstacle before they had even properly met. Wonderful.

Determined to play nice for Emily's sake, Paige walked up, giving a small wave to the seated girl. "Hi."

"Hi. You're Paige."

"I am," Paige confirmed, holding tightly to the strap of her bag for want of something to do with her hands. Two seconds in and the girls' laser like gaze had her fidgety. She fought the urge to rock back on her heels, the silence from her counterpart hanging heavy. "You're Maya."

"I am. I've heard a lot about you." The tone said Maya didn't like at least part of what she had heard leaving Paige with no idea how to respond. Figuring any apologies she owed were to Emily and not Maya, she chose not to rise to the bait.

"Same here."

Paige wasn't sure what the proper etiquette was in this circumstance. She had no desire for a confrontation, intending to make the potentially awkward night as stress free for Emily as possible. Something evidently had Maya in a mood and, without context, Paige had no idea if it was her specifically or life in general.

"Well, I should probably get in there," Paige took a step forward, hoping that they could resolve whatever differences they seemed to have without delving into drama. Maya stood but didn't move, the step giving her a height advantage she wouldn't have otherwise enjoyed. Paige was unthreatened by the tactic, long accustomed to people trying to intimidate her. "Look, whatever this is," Paige motioned between them, "I don't want to do it, all right? I'm here for my team."

"Right, it's always about the team with you guys." This was said with a frustrated eye roll, Maya's issues with her obviously ran deeper than just ex-girlfriend drama. "Like you guys spending all your free time together, that was all about the team, right?"

"We swim together. Period. I'm not making a play for your girl, Maya. Emily chose you, you win, okay? Swim season's over, she's all yours."

"You sure about that?"

The implication was evident and Paige shook her head, not really in the mood for a cat fight over a girl who had already made her choice. "Yes, I'm sure. Can I go in now? Did I kiss your ass to your satisfaction?"

Paige moved to step up, clenching her jaw when Maya refused to give way. She wanted to play nice, she really did, but this girl was testing what little was left of her patience.

"I get it, you know, why you're still hanging around. Em and I both dated other people while I was away, but she's… special. She's hard to let go of. You just need to understand that we're together now."

"I wasn't aware that was something I didn't understand," Paige rebutted. Who was Maya to talk down to her? Maya, who had bailed the first chance she got, blowing off the girlfriend who idolized her while she hooked up with who the hell knew up in the middle of nowhere. When it came down to doing the dirty work to keep Emily happy, to keep her safe, Paige had sacrificed.

"You hurt her."

The insult was akin to a slap in the face, the truth of the words an almost physical assault. Paige had hurt Emily, in more ways than one. She had her reasons but that didn't alter the consequences. She wasn't without company in that department.

"So did you. I'm not perfect, I know that. I was a shitty girlfriend and I got what I deserved when Emily dumped me. Don't make my mistake."

"I love her," Maya countered, as if that made up for everything that had gone wrong. Paige wished it did, that loving Emily made up for all the mistakes. If only that was it all it took to wash a slate clean.

"You're not the only one, Maya. I already picked up the pieces after you once, don't make me do it again." With that, Paige turned and walked away. It wasn't possible for them both occupy the same house without tearing it down to the foundations. Only Hastings had ever been so openly antagonistic toward her and Paige had always chalked that up to her innate need to protect those she loved. She didn't begrudge her old teammate that. Maya seemed to be taking Paige's mere existence as an insult. Pulling out her phone as she walked, Paige entered Emily's number from memory.

It rang just as she was about to type up a message, Emily's number flashing in the display. She accepted the call, hoping the muted sounds of the party didn't carry across the line.

"McCullers! Where are you?"

"Em, hey. Listen, I'm not going to be able to make it. My dad set up this whole, celebration dinner for me and I can't get away."

"Paige." Her name was almost a whine, Emily's disappointment clear.

"I know, I know. I'll make it up to… everyone. I promise."

**888**

"Hey, Paige?"

"Yeah, Dad?"

"I have this tie." Nick McCullers held up a silk tie, the arresting shade of purple no doubt a choice of her mother's.

"Okay… I have this pen." Paige held up the utensil in question. Her father's look said his comment was meant to have context but for the life of her she couldn't figure out what it was.

"Will it match your dress?"

"My pen?" She asked, wondering if she had walked out of conversation she didn't remember.

"Will the tie match your dress, Paige, for the Daddy/Daughter dance?"

"Oh." Paige drew out the word as understanding dawned. Crap.

"You forgot."

"No, no, I didn't," she lied, pushing off the couch to take the tie from him. "I, uh, just need to check the pattern."

"All right, I'll leave it with you. Don't spill anything on it, your mother will skin us both." He went on walking for his office and Paige picked up her cell phone, pulling on her shoes as she dialled.

"What's the story, Morning Glory?"

"I… how many of those do you have?"

"What do you mean, Jellybean?"

Paige frowned, knowing Pru was being intentionally obtuse. "You home?"

"Yep."

"I'm going to Pru's!" Paige yelled out getting an acknowledgement from her mother before she closed the door. "Do you have a dress that'll match a purple tie?"

"What colour purple?"

"What? What do you mean? The purple that's purple."

A sigh on Pru's end. "Lavender? Lilac?"

"Why are you naming flowers?"

"You're kidding."

"Pru… help me." She whined, turning through the park to shortcut her way to her friend's house.

"Honey, I'm not sure that's even possible."

"Wiseass."

"Just get over here, I'll see what I have. Worse comes to worse…"

"Don't say it."

"Shopping date!"

**888**

"I'm not going to a dance with my father in this," Paige said, not bothering to leave the dressing room as she forcibly arranged herself in the tight bodice.

"Why not?"

"I look like a hooker."

"Street walker or high class escort?"

Paige hoped her silence indicated her lack of amusement.

"Paige, showing off a modest bit of T and A doesn't make you a hooker, now get out here."

Heaving a sigh that threatened to make unfamiliar cleavage burst from the top of the dress, Paige stepped out, rolling her eyes at Pru's wolf whistle.

"Looking hot, McCullers." Pru took a picture to add to the collection to choose from once they had gone through all the options. Paige's favourite had been a respectable dress four choices back that flared at the leg just below her knee.

"This is definitely my favourite."

"Ugh."

"Shana thinks so too."

Paige blinked, words taking a moment to fully register. "Say again?"

"Shana." Pru held up her phone, a picture of the girl giving a thumbs up on the small screen. "Gotta give the girl something to look at. How else you going to keep her interested?"

"There aren't holes deep enough for where I'm going to bury your body."

**888**

"Can I get you another drink?" Her father asked, looking around the packed room of parents and daughters with something akin to discomfort.

"Thanks, Dad. That'd be great."

Paige watched him beeline for the drink area, meeting up with an equally awkward Dean McNab, his daughter having taken off with her friends. Pru's dad sidled up to the pair of men as well, Paige not turning to face her friend as Pru approached.

"I'm never sure who this dance is more embarrassing for, the dads or the daughters," Pru said, offering her lip gloss to Paige. "C'mon, reapply, we can't kiss and make up if you're all chapped."

Paige offered nothing, merely watched the crowd, wishing time would speed up.

"I'm sorry about yesterday, really," Pru said, tone indicating her genuine remorse. "I just thought I'd help the thing with Shana along a little since you stalled out. I just want you to be happy."

"I know," Paige conceded. They had gotten their shopping done, compromising on the dress choice, but the atmosphere had definitely been strained. Looking back on it now, it wasn't such a big deal. And it certainly wasn't the first time Pru had edged the limits of propriety. "We're good."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Good." Emotional moment complete, Pru settled back into her normal self. "Speaking of good, I know someone who's appreciating your dress choice."

"If it's one of the Dads, you can keep that to yourself."

"…Gross. No, your little co-captain was totally hopping aboard the cruiseline when you walked in."

"What the hell does that even mean?"

"Emily checked you out."

Paige rolled her eyes. "Aren't you the only always telling me to move on?"

"Yeah. Just because she can appreciate a well shaped ass doesn't mean she's good enough for you but you never seem to believe me when I tell you how hot you are."

Paige shrugged, unable to argue. It was different with friends, just like parents, weren't they somehow obligated to tell you how beautiful you were?

"Tonight isn't the time, but you're going to tell me who put all this self loathing crap in your head and we're going to have Sean beat the hell out of them."

Paige laughed, trying to deflect attention away from her insecurities. Pru had never understood the true extent of Ali's torture, Paige too afraid to show weakness as Ali planted the seeds of insecurity. The blonde's relentless tactics had turned typical teenage awkwardness into damn near full blown psychosis. Paige shared some of the blame, she had allowed herself to be sucked in, nurtured self hatred until it had been the norm. That had changed, slowly. Her self awareness had led Paige steadily away from darkness but it didn't keep old ideas of worthlessness from rearing up on occasion.

"Hey, c'mon, turn that frown upside down, Dad attack is imminent."

Paige accepted Pru's quick hand squeeze as reassurance that no matter the darkness that edged at her, she wasn't alone anymore. It was more than Ali had said she would ever have.

Paige smiled, the best revenge was a life well lived. As far as she was concerned, dead and gone, DiLaurentis could still kiss her well shaped ass.

As the dance wound down, Paige's dad collected their coats. Paige motioned toward the bathroom, heading over after her father's acknowledging nod. She opened the door, tempted to back right out again when the sole occupant turned away, a muted sob reaching her ears.

Wait a minute, she knew those shoulders.

"Em?"

"Paige, hey." Emily didn't turn, sniffles proving her emotions hadn't come under control.

"Hey. You okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Right. I love crying in the school bathroom too, totally relaxing. Very zen." Paige approached her friend, reaching out to touch a silently shaking shoulder. "Whoa, hey, I'm sorry. It wasn't that bad of a joke."

That at least got a mild hiccup before Emily cleared her throat, turning to face Paige with red eyes. "It's my dad," she admitted. "They're sending him back overseas."

"Shit." The word was past her lips before Paige could call it back. Real reassuring, McCullers, way to go.

"What if something happens to him over there?"

"Nothing's going to happen to him," Paige said. "You've met your dad right? He'd bare knuckle brawl his way through an army to get back to you and your mom."

"It's not just that. Maya and I got into this stupid fight, I spent all day looking for her. I wasted my last day with my dad trying to track her down."

Paige pursed her lips, teeth grinding on instinct at Maya's callous behaviour. Emily had worked herself up with her explanation, near hysteria as she wrung out a paper towel. Paige put her hands on Emily's, tugging away the much abused towel to stop the fretted movement.

"It's going to be okay, Emily. Your dad is going to be fine and things with Maya, they'll work themselves out however they're meant to." Paige couldn't find the gumption to say the words 'make up'. Emily deserved better than the way Maya was behaving but those words served no use here.

Considering their ever changing boundaries, Paige was somewhat surprised when Emily stepped into her body, lean arms wrapping around her waist. Paige responded in kind, unable to stop herself from kissing Emily's temple as the other girl's weight sank against her.

"It's going to be okay, Em. You'll see."

"I'm sorry I'm always falling apart on you."

Paige smiled at the apology, simply returning the tight hug. "Joke's on you, Fields. I've got my nervous breakdown scheduled for senior year so enjoy it while it lasts."

**888**

Three days later, Paige was knee deep in planning for the final team dinner and awards ceremony, reluctantly pulled in despite it traditionally being the senior's responsibility. Two more days and she would be free of swimming commitments altogether, a freeing, if not slightly terrifying thought.

She looked up from where she was working with Tanya to create the seating arrangement, finding Emily staring blankly into her laptop screen. It was obvious she needed something to get her mind off her father's leaving and whatever troubles were still brewing between her and Maya. Satisfied Tanya was fine to continue the seating plan, Paige walked over and planted her butt on the desk in front of Emily.

"Hey."

"I'm going to walk around town later, try to get store owners to buy some ads for the program. You want to come?"

"I'm not really good at asking people for money."

"Please," Paige waved off the deflection. "You're the star of the team, who could possibly turn you down?"

Emily smiled, Paige winking at her before heading back to Tanya, glad she had gotten her friend to engage a little. The afternoon found them wandering downtown Rosewood together, making a point of hitting up the shops and restaurants the Sharks regularly frequented. It didn't seem to matter who they asked, once Emily flipped on the Fields charm, chequebooks started opening.

"Hey, look over there." Paige said, eyes zeroing in on an ice cream truck.

"Paige, I doubt the ice cream man is going to donate to a high school swim team."

Paige pulled out a bill, waving it at her friend. "No, but I bet he's willing to help me on my road to summer gluttony, come on." She didn't give Emily a chance to refuse, taking her hand and bodily pulling her down the sidewalk. She would cheer her friend up if it killed them both.

Laden down with far more ice cream than was appropriate for two people, they sat on a nearby bench.

"What are you going to do with all your free time now that you're not busy taking over the swimming world and plotting Morgan's downfall?"

"Oh, you know, something relaxing, might take up knitting." Paige said, gleefully powering down an obscenely large spoonful of mint chocolate chip. Emily's laughter was music to her ears, her friend far too subdued these last few months with everything that had gone on. "What about you?"

"Catch up in class, I let things slide a little getting ready for the championships."

"I'm sure Hastings is all too willing to bludgeon knowledge into you if you need help."

"Paige," her name was a light chastise, the effect negated by Emily's laugh as she shouldered her. "You guys compete on the same teams, you have the same 'do or die' mentality, you should be best friends."

Paige's bark of laughter nearly choked her as she inhaled a chocolate chip. "The day Hastings and I play nice is the day the I also become a ninja and save the world."

Emily rolled her eyes, digging in to her melting ice cream. "I, uh, heard from my dad yesterday."

"Yeah, how's he doing?"

"Good, he said they stationed him somewhere a little more quiet than last time. More peace keeping than peace making."

Paige reached nudged her friend's knee with her own. "That's good to hear."

"Yeah, it doesn't stop me worrying but it's nice to know." Emily looked down at her ice cream, suddenly downcast. Unsure if there was anything she could say to actually make Emily feel better, Paige settled for distraction.

"Trade."

"Huh?"

"Trade me. Don't think I don't notice you bogarting all the coconut, Fields." Paige held out her ice cream, waiting expectantly.

"If you wanted coconut, you should have ordered coconut," Emily countered, gamely trading her ice cream anyway. They sat there in quiet company, long enough for the uneaten remainder of their desserts to turn to soup.

"I need to get back to the school, I have to put these ads in today if they're going to make it into the program," Paige said, pushing herself out of her seat.

"I'll walk back with you, I should attempt to work off at least part of that ice cream."

"Good luck with that." It was short work to get back to the school, Emily flipping through the cheques as they walked down the hallway.

"The Grill, a hundred, The Brew, twenty five."

Paige stepped back, allowing Emily to enter the classroom first.

"Fiddler's Café, a hundred. Ed's Pizza, fifty."

"We make a good team." Paige said, mentally tallying their total somewhere near five hundred dollars. Her phone rang and she picked it up, expecting to see Pru's number. "Hey, Mom. I'm still at school, just finishing up with Emily."

"Oh, is this good news?" Her mother asked, smile evident in her voice. Paige rolled her eyes at the tease though she was glad her mom felt comfortable enough to joke with her.

"No, Mom, she's just a friend."

"Of course, Honey."

"I'll be home in an hour." Paige hung up, eyebrow raised at Emily's questioning look.

"Just a friend?"

Oh, that. Paige shook her head, all the build up, waiting for the right time to tell, and it was an offhand conversation with her mother that set it in motion. Figured.

"I came out to my parents." There, it was done. The news sat at their feet, a conversational bomb dropped in the empty classroom. Paige did her best not to read too much into the genuine excitement in Emily's eyes.

"You did? How did they take it?"

"Freaked out, a little." Paige admitted. It had been a long road from there to here. "Some tears, some screaming but nothing like I thought it would be."

"Wow, that's so great!"

Paige looked down, happy for the acknowledgement.

"Well, not the screaming part but great."

"I have you to thank for it."

"What did I do?"

Paige stared at her friend, unable to believe that Emily didn't understand it was her courage that she had drawn from. Emily had set out a path, an example, for Paige to follow. She never could have walked it on her own. "You handled coming out so well, it just made it seem possible for me to do it too." It hardly seemed enough to say to the person who may well have saved her life, but it was all she had.

"I don't know about that."

"I do. I've watched you." Watched the quiet courage that had bolstered Paige when her own was failing. The admission was too much, Emily ducking her head to diffuse the somewhat awkward moment.

"Thanks, I'm glad you were able to talk to your parents."

"Me too, I just wish I'd done it sooner." Paige let it hang there, hoping her meaning was clear. She knew she had messed up and she had worked hard to fix her mistakes, all because she hadn't wanted to lose the girl in front of her. It was too little too late, but it didn't stop it from being truth.

A beep broke their stare, Emily peering down at her phone and frowning. "I'm sorry, I gotta go."

"Is that Maya?" She had no idea why she asked. Maybe to cautiously take the temperature of Emily's relationship, figure out if their fight had been more than a simple spat.

"No. No. Here." Emily handed her the cheques, eyes meeting. "I'm really happy for you."

"Thanks." With that, Emily was gone, on her way to parts unknown.

Paige sat back reviewing the entire conversation in her mind, it had been somewhat… anti-climatic. She hadn't expected Emily to drop Maya and throw herself into her arms but that was it? Really? All their talks, everything they had been through and that was it? A pat on the back and a brush off? Did she have to get herself kidnapped before Emily would notice her?

"Hey, there you are."

Paige turned, Pru sidling up to the desk. "Why do you look like someone killed your puppy?"

"I… it's nothing." Paige waved it off. As much as she wanted, craved, Emily's attention, she didn't need it. Didn't need Emily to validate the choices she made. The proof was in her life now and all the positive changes that had come from her honesty.

"So the fact that Emily just hightailed out here doesn't have anything do with your space cadet routine?"

"I told her I was out."

"And?"

"And, now it's out that I'm out." Paige shrugged again, admittedly a little hurt that Emily hadn't taken more interest in the news. But it had never been Emily's battle to fight in the first place. Che sera. "What's up, why are you still here?"

"I came back to kidnap you. Want to go shopping?"

"We went shopping last week. I think I've satisfied my monthly torture allotment, thank you."

"Don't be such a martyr. We need new outfits for the masquerade."

"No."

"No? 'No' what?"

"No masquerade." Paige stood, heading out of the empty classroom. "I went to the Daddy/Daughter, I'm good for the rest of the year."

"Paige, you're going."

"Pru, I'm not."

**888**

"I'm not going to wear that. No way in hell."

"You have legs! Show them off a little, you big prude."

Paige made no move to take the dress, crossing her arms in a childish attempt to dig in her heels.

"Fine." Rolled eyes showed Pru was irritated but hadn't crossed over into full on frustration. Yet. "I have to meet Sean to go coordinate his outfit but don't think this is over. Want a ride home?"

"Nah, I'm going to grab some supper at the Grill. Dad's in Scranton and Mom's got a dinner meeting."

"Tomorrow, Paige. You're not getting out of this."

Paige waved her friend off, walking out of the store to head to The Grill. She had just finished texting a reply to Pru's threat when she bumped into someone, the other person bouncing soundly off a well built shoulder. She reached out, hands grabbing arms to stabilize the person she had hit.

"Oh, Emily. Hi."

"Hey." The greeting was one of Emily's most subdued, her friend's wounded look definitely about more than being bulldozed on the sidewalk.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Glassy eyes and red cheeks spoke otherwise.

"No, you're not." Paige called her on it, after everything they had been through, Emily didn't need to lie. "What's wrong? Em, talk to me."

Emily looked away, obviously uncomfortable parting with her problem which told Paige all she needed to know. Maya.

"Maya and I got into a fight the other night at the party. I haven't talked to her since. I don't know if she's breaking up with me or she wants to work it out. I don't know anything 'cause she won't call me back."

Paige pursed her lips, internally seething at the way Emily kept being yanked around like a dog on a leash. It was enough, she couldn't sit back and be a supportive friend any more. This was crap and Emily deserved better. It was totally frustrating to see one of the people she cared about most allowing herself to be pushed around. "Don't you see, Em? This is who she is. Things get tough and she bails."

The slight look to the side let Paige know she had been heard and even the ever loyal Emily couldn't find it in herself to disagree.

"I know you really care about her but what you really need is someone you can count on."

"Thanks." Emily stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Paige, head leaning against her chest for a brief moment. Emily pulled back, a lost look in her eyes that Paige couldn't stand to see.

She couldn't, at that time, say why she leaned down to kiss her friend. One of her socially awkward impulses come to the fore. An asinine attempt to somehow comfort Emily. Maybe a desire to quiet the inner voice that had nagged at her months to simply 'kiss the girl'.

Evidently Disney had steered her wrong.

Whatever her internal reasons, it was obviously unwelcome on Emily's end, her friend alternately surprised, confused and it seemed somewhat hurt a she pulled back.

"What are you doing?"

"I... I don't know."

"I'm sorry if I made you think..."

"No. No, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

Emily didn't even respond to her apology turning and quickly heading down the street.

"Em," Paige called out, a last ditch effort to get her friend to stop. Emily turned for a moment before continuing on.

Paige could have beat her head against the stop sign as realization set in.

Months of work building a friendship, of trying to be someone Emily could count on, and she'd sent it up in ashes in a matter of seconds.

"Typical smooth move, McCullers." Paige flipped open her phone, dialling Pru's numbers. "Hey, I uh, might have just done something a little bit stupid. I think I need your help."

**888**

Four days later, Paige huffed as she tossed one of Pru's fashion magazines onto the coffee table.

"What's up?" her mother asked, returning from the kitchen with two mugs of tea.

"There is nothing in there that's even remotely appealing." Paige stated, accepting the mug with thanks. "This is entire idea is stupid anyway. Emily won't even talk to me, going to this masquerade isn't going to fix anything."

"Have you tried actually calling her?"

"Right after it happened. She was busy filling out police reports about Maya and said she would call me back. That was three days ago."

"I'm sure she has a lot on her plate right now, hon. Maya's running away… God I can't even imagine what her parents are going through."

Maya. Paige shook her head at the girl who had Emily and pissed her relationship away. Twice. Paige wasn't stupid, she knew there was another side to the story. There had to be something serious that had sent Maya sprinting for the exit. But Paige had been raised to stand her ground, fight back. Even at her worst, it had never been in her to turn and run.

"Did you…"

Paige turned at the stalled sentence, raising an eyebrow at her mother. "Did I what?"

"When you were figuring things out, did you ever think of running away?"

Reaching out, she took her mother's hand, the physical connection steadying them both. "No. I mean, I didn't know how you'd react," she admitted. "I thought you might kick me out or send me to one of those camps, but it never crossed my mind to bail without explaining why. I wouldn't have done that to you or Dad."

A squeeze accompanied her mother's relieved sigh. "Good. No matter what our problems, we work through them together, always."

"I know." Paige leaned into her mother, sinking into her as an arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"Speaking of problems." Her mother reached for the forgotten fashion magazine, flipping idly through the pages until she came across the page she was looking for, holding it up for Paige's inspection. "I think I may have a solution for yours."

**888**

"What do you think?"

"I dunno, isn't it a little…butch?" Paige asked, turning in the full length mirror. The well cut pants hugged her legs and butt tightly without making her feel complete exposed like she did in a dress.

"Found another one, Mrs. McCullers," Pru said as she walked into the changing, area, tossing the jacket to the side once she saw Paige in the mirror. "But you're not going to need it. That is hot."

Cheeks already burning at the compliment, Paige felt her blush deepen at Pru's wolf whistle. "Dude, you totally have to start letting your mom dress you."

"I saw a shirt I think will match the blazer, be right back." Her mom headed off, Pru stepping closer to twitch the suit top into place.

"Nice butt, McCullers. If you don't score with Emily you've got to let me post your picture online."

"What? No."

"C'mon, Rosewood's like the lesbian utopia, you can't let Emily snatch up every girl from here to Philly."

**888**

"What if this doesn't work?"

Pru helped her settle the mask into place as Paige scanned the busy gym for Emily. "It's a simple operation, you'll go up, you'll apologize, she'll accept or she won't and then we'll know."

"Right. Okay. If nothing changes, nothing changes."

"Thatta girl." Pru sent her on her way with a sharp slap on the rear. "Make mama proud."

Leaving her friend to collect Sean from the drinks table, Paige began her walk through the crowd. It was two laps around before she finally caught sight of Emily, emerald dress shimmering under the lights.

Emily was by herself, Hastings nowhere in sight, a thankful blessing as Paige worked up the courage to for what came next. She settled her mask in place again, more a nervous attempt to buy time than actual attempt to correct her costume. A nervous twitch of her suit cuffs and a sudden hip check from a passing Pru finally got her feet moving in the right direction. Paige concentrated on a point just past Emily as she walked, a futile effort to calm herself. Her friend faced away from her and Paige took a deep breath, reaching out to touch a bare shoulder.

"Emily."

The pursed lips as Emily turned didn't do much to tell whether she was pissed off or just surprised Paige had approached.

"Paige."

"Hey." Paige stumbled, her planned speech flat out disapearing from memory at breakneck pace. "I wanted to apolo..."

"I'm sorry I didn't call..."

Paige looked down as they spoke over one another, lifting a hand to indicate Emily should go first. "I'm sorry I didn't call you back, with everything with Maya, it's been crazy."

"I know, I totally get it," Paige assured, walking toward a free table and sitting down, waiting for Emily to follow suit. When her friend had made herself comfortable, Paige pulled off her mask, wanting to do her apologizing face to face. No masks between them.

"I'm sorry about the other night."

"Let's just forget about it."

Paige had to admire her friend, everything she had done and there was Em, always trying to give her the easy way out.

"That's the thing, I don't want to forget about it. We have a connection, you can't deny that."

"We did." A pause. "But I…"

Paige mustered on, tamping down on the urge to run at the past tense. "I get it. I messed it up." Had she ever admitted that to Emily before? Told her she knew what she had done?

"You weren't ready and that's okay."

Paige conceded the point, in the end, it had been losing Emily that had pushed her into readiness. "I wish I had fought harder for you."

"I'm sorry, Paige." Emily's tone felt like goodbye, as though Paige's feelings made it impossible for them to be even friends. If friendship was all Paige could have, she would take it and be grateful.

"I didn't tell you so you'd be sorry, I just wanted to be honest." For once, not to have secrets between them. "That I care about you, so I'll be here for you, for whatever you need."

"I think what I need right now, is a friend."

Friends. The idea both struck and elated her. Paige had hoped for more, for so long. All things considered, the stunts she had pulled over the year, friends was a far shot better than she deserved.

"It's official, we're friends," Paige said.

"That makes me happy."

The smile on Emily's face was worth her silent heartbreak, Paige looking down lest her friend see her grinning like an idiot to know that she hadn't broken them beyond repair. Satisfied that things were right between them, Paige stood and offered a hand to Emily to help her from the chair. Her hand was tentatively accepted, Emily offering a shy smile as Paige pulled her to her feet.

Their eyes met, for the briefest of moments and Paige knew no matter the cost to herself, she wouldn't ruin this. Emily's phone beeped from in her purse and she looked down, her desire to check the message evident. Not wanting to push her luck any more than she had, Paige released her hand, stepping back.

"I'll see you Monday."

"Okay," Emily smiled, her face betraying her nerves.

"Are you okay? Do you need me to stay?" Paige asked, worried she had done something to upset the other girl.

"No. I'm okay, I just need to get this," Emily held up her phone. "It could be…"

"Maya." Paige finished. "I understand." She truly did and she didn't want Emily to be uncomfortable. She turned to leave, stopped by a hand on her shoulder.

"I just wanted to say you look very…" Emily paused, evidently searching for the right word.

"Butch?" Paige asked with a smirk, knowing her style had evolved radically over the last few months.

"Dashing," Emily corrected. She leaned forward, pressing a chaste kiss to Paige's cheek. "Thank you for understanding."

"I'll be whatever you need me to be," Paige promised quietly, squeezing Emily's hand one last time before taking her leave. It was a fight to keep the tears back as she walked from the ball, chin held high. She was many things, a McCullers above all, and damned if anyone was going to see her cry.

Paige pushed open the door to the outside, sucking in a deep cleansing breath. It hadn't been the outcome she had truly wanted but that had been a one in a million shot. Having Emily in her life in any capacity was far better than not having her at all.

Paige tugged on the collar of her shirt, smiling coming to her face. Maybe she hadn't gotten what she wanted but she had been an adult about it. She hadn't thrown a temper tantrum the way she had with Samara or done something foolish like press after Emily like she had the week before. She could do this.

Her hand briefly touched her cheek, the skin still warm from the light kiss Emily had gifted her with.

She wasn't without hope.

She hopped into her mom's car and turned toward home, careful to keep her attention on the road. One car accident was enough for a lifetime.

She pulled into the driveway shortly after, the lights still on outside. Her parents were on the couch, her father snoring lightly in his chair, her mother sprawled on the couch, a knit blanket pulled over her shoulders.

"Hey, Mom." She spoke quietly, not wanting to wake her father. Her mother smiled at her, unfolding from the couch and motioned Paige toward the kitchen. She pulled out two mugs and set the electric kettle to boil as Paige sat.

"So, how'd it go?"

"It went… pretty good." Paige hedged, knowing from the outside it didn't look like she had won anything even though she knew better.

"What's pretty good?"

"She said I looked dashing," Paige said, unable to keep the smile off as she said it. Even the memory of it made her ears warm and she knew she was blushing. Her mother returned the smile, hand cupping Paige's cheek, widening as she brushed her thumb against her skin.

"I see Emily wears pink." It was a statement more than a question, her mother's eyes twinkling.

"How…oh." Paige blushed harder, hand coming up to cover what was apparently a lip mark.

"You really like her."

"I really do." Paige admitted. "But we agreed to just be friends for now. She's dealing with a lot with Maya. I don't want to put any pressure on her. I've made that mistake before and I don't want to do it again."

"Things will work out just as they're meant to, Sweetheart." The tea kettle began to shrill and her mother picked it up, pouring them a cup of tea.

"I know. Even if it never happens, I'm glad she knows how I feel. I'm glad she knows where I stand." Paige sipped at her tea, the chamomile a calming force as it slid down her throat. It had been an exciting and stressful night. Now that it was over, she could feel the energy start to drain from her. "Do you think Dad'll be okay if I hang out with Emily more? I know he's still a little leery, especially when swimming isn't involved. I think he still might blame her a little for me being…me."

"I think being friends with Emily will help him see things as normal. You're still the same girl he raised Paige, he knows that, even if he has his moments."

"Thanks, Mom." Paige yawned, the tea doing its job.

"Bedtime, Baby, come on." Her mother put an arm her shoulder, holding them hip to hip as they walked to the basement door. "No matter the outcome, I'm proud of you tonight, Paige. It takes a lot of courage to put yourself out there, you were very brave."

A final squeeze and Paige headed down the stairs, tugging her jacket from her shoulders. She hung it up along with the rest of her outfit, sliding into a pair of sweats and a tank top. Snuggled in bed, she sipped at the remnants of her tea, flicking on the TV, hoping to find something worth falling asleep to. She clicked through endless channels, stopping on the local Rosewood station where a news banners caught her eye.

"Four Rosewood teens, involved in a deadly game of cat and mouse, have finally broken free of their tormentor."

"What the hell?" Paige sat up, all thoughts of sleep gone as she listened to the announcer list everything about Emily and her friends but their names.

"The girls, known to police for what was initially thought to be a fabricated story about Ian Thomas' death, have spent nearly eight months in a prison of lies. Their tormentor, initially known only as 'A' has been tentatively confirmed as fellow Rosewood High Student, Mona Vanderwaal.

Mona? Hannah's best friend. The poster child for the 'it' crowd. The girl didn't know the difference between prada and postal. That was her tormentor? Mona fucking Vanderwaal?!

She had to get to Emily, make sure she was okay. If 'A' had been tormenting her and her friends, there was no telling what condition she was in. Paige tugged on her sneakers, slipping her phone and keys into her hoodie pocket as she pulled it over her shoulders and sprinted for the stairs.

The living room was dark, her parents evidently in bed. She slid out the front door, leaving her bike in the garage not wanting to wake her parents and risk answering questions she didn't have time for.

She pelted across the street, vaulting easily over the four foot stone wall that separated her from Rosewood Park. Legs, long accustomed to eating up ground at a break neck pace, didn't fail her as she sprinted across uneven terrain. She took a running leap at the wall on the other side, sneakers finding grip on the rough stone to propel her up and over. She landed in a crouch, body pushing her forward before she had even registered she was back on the move. She whipped around the corner near Emily's block, sneakers sliding in the loose dirt on the curb. The long street, two blocks from Emily's house, left her with wide open road.

She pumped her arms, heels nearly touching her butt as she sprinted full tilt, all thoughts but Emily forced from her mind as she ran.

The lights were visible before all else, the red and blue lights stark against the pale yellow house. Next were the police cars, the ambulances and what looked to be a news vans. Paige didn't stop until she reached the outer edge of the mayhem, frantically searching for signs of Emily. How far had 'A' gone?"

Her heart nearly dropped from her chest when a gurney was wheeled from the back yard, a distraught Mrs. Fields following close behind.

No.

Paige pushed through the crowd, shoving away anyone who tried to stonewall her. She scanned the crowd, her relief threatening to make her pass out when she found Emily with the others, standing at the far edge of the scene. The whispers through the crowd met her ears just as Mrs. Fields approached the group.

A dead body. A young woman. Resembled the description of a girl who had gone missing a couple of towns over. Maya.

"No." Paige shook her head, willing it not to be true. When she saw Emily collapse, keening wail cutting Paige to the core, she knew all she needed to know. Paige shoved through the milling people, moving through the masses on sheer will until she came to the shoulder of a police officer.

He stopped her with his arm, pushing her way from the police tape that barred her from Emily. Spencer had her arms wrapped tightly around the other girl, sinewy strength holding Emily on her feet. Barely.

"You have to let me through," Paige pushed against him, "she's my… she's my friend, I have to help."

"There's nothing you can do. The best thing for you is to just let us do our jobs."

Paige had the completely inappropriate urge to laugh. Do their jobs? Just like they had done with Alison? Rosewood PD had thus far proved themselves incapable of finding their asses with both hands and a map.

"I need to see Emily."

"And I'm telling you it's not going to happen. Go home."

Paige rankled at the dismissal, committing his short blond hair and cheap suit to memory. She had seen him at the school before, sniffing after Emily and the others. Sneering at him, Paige turned away, eyes falling on the body bag as it was loaded into the back of the ambulance.

Poor Maya.

Poor Emily.

Paige started as her phone vibrated, not relishing the idea explaining to her parents why she had bolted out of the house like a bat out of hell.

She flipped open the mobile, blood draining from her face at the message.

**I always liked you better. -A**


End file.
